


Siblings of Eccentricity

by Basicallymonkey101



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Abusive Parent, Alternate Universe: Non-Despair, But I wanted them to be here, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gundham Tanaka’s Animal Empire, I know it messes up the timeline, Ibuki and Gundham are siblings, Rated T for later chapters, Sdr2 ensemble is here, Siblings, Their father sucks, Their mom’s a sweetheart, This is the first Gundamiki post in over 2 years, V3 Kids are adults when sdr2 kids are children, Yikes, but they aren’t frequent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25233754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basicallymonkey101/pseuds/Basicallymonkey101
Summary: Based off a theory that Gundham and Ibuki are siblings, I bring you this production.
Relationships: Mioda Ibuki/Sonia Nevermind, Tanaka Gundham/Tsumiki Mikan
Comments: 37
Kudos: 79





	1. Come Together Now

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I really like this headcanon, haven’t found any works for it, and decided this would be my duty. This is basically going to detail the lives of Gundham and Ibuki growing up together.

The sun shone though the windows of Kaiya Tanaka’s beatdown minivan, lightening up the already bubbly mood. Kaiya had recently found out her husband had cheated on her (again), and left the woman he mingled with single and pregnant. Of course, the woman put the child up for adoption, and Kaiya was one of the first to hear about it (Gossip spreads quickly in a hospital).

But Kaiya wasn’t the only one returning from the trip. A young girl sat in a booster seat in the backseat of the car, bouncing in her seat with anticipation. Her name was Ibuki Mioda (Ibuki Tanaka now), and she couldn’t be happier.

“Hey, lady! Ibuki wants to know why you adopted her!” Ibuki exclaimed, stars shining in her eyes. “Well, Ibuki, I adopted you because you’re special to me.” Kaiya explained, leaving out certain details. Ibuki silently accepted the answer, sitting back down in her seat.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Kaiya spoke up. “Did you know I have a son?” she asked, hoping for the best. Ibuki certainly delivered. “Ibuki has a brother?!” she exclaimed, her smile spreading from ear to ear.

“Yes you do Ibuki. But, I have to tell you about something very important.” Ibuki looked at Kaiya, full attention on her new mom. “His name is Gundham, and he is very shy. If he runs away from you and hides, please don’t get angry at him.” Kaiya explained, looking for a reaction.

“That’s okay Mommy! Ibuki likes a good challenge!” Ibuki put her hands on her hips and looked to the sky, a confident aura radiating off of her. 

~~~

As the Minivan pulled into the driveway, Kaiya got out of the car, helped Ibuki unbuckle her seatbelt, and held Ibuki’s hand as the walked in to the house. As Ibuki looked around at her surroundings, she marveled at everything she saw. Drawings, toys, pictures, furniture, even the dents and stains on the wall. Ibuki dropped her bag on the floor and ran off to another room, trying to see what wonders were in the next room.

Kaiya picked up Ibuki’s bag, and walked into a bedroom. She quietly opened the door and looked around, only to find a soundly sleeping Gundham, hamster plush in hand. She put the bag down next to the open bed in the room, and walked over to her son. She gently shook him awake, quietly calling his name.

Gundham slowly opened his eyes, and perked up at the sight of his mom. He shot up in his bed and wrapped his arms around her (his usual wake-up routine). Kaiya quietly began speaking with him.

“Gundham, I know you might be nervous about this, but remember the surprise I told you about?” Gundham nodded, fearing the worst. Were they moving again? Was mom leaving him? “Well, she’s in the living room, waiting for you.” 

Gundham shot out of his bed and ran for the living room. It finally happened! They got a pet! Was she a dog? A cat? A hamster? Who cares! As Gundham rounded the corner, he looked in and saw...none of those things. Instead, he saw a girl standing on his coffee table, dancing with a table lamp.

Ibuki met his gaze, put down (dropped) the lamp and ran towards him. Gundham’s first instinct was to run to his mother. There was a strange girl in his house, and his pet was no where to be seen. He ran to his mother and hid behind her legs, peeking out at the energetic girl.

Kaiya kneeled down, picked up Gundham, and sat him down on the couch. Ibuki ran up and sat next to them. Kaiya held Gundham’s hand, and began to explain. “Gundham, this is your new sister.” Gundham looked between Ibuki and Kaiya, with a mixed expression of shock, horror, anger, sadness, and joy. Gundham simply muttered, “I thought she was going to be a hamster.”

Ibuki laughed at the statement, and sprawled our on Kaiya’s lap. “You’re silly! Ibuki isn’t a hamster! Ibuki’s Ibuki!” Gundham looked down at her and let himself process. If this “Ibuki” was his new family member, and she was a girl like mom, then she had to be nice.

Gundham slowly reached out towards Ibuki, and did what he always did to show he cared. He wrapped his arms around Ibuki’s head, and held her close. Ibuki perked up at this. “Ibuki loves hugs! Here, you can have one too!” Ibuki pulled Gundham into an embrace of her own, smiling gleefully at her new brother.

Kaiya simply sat and watched as Gundham began showing Ibuki the ropes of the household: where the toys were, where the snacks were, where the bathroom was. Everything was going great until, they reached the fridge.

Ibuki looked in and saw a package of six bottles, and turned around to Gundham. “Brother! What are these bottles?” Ibuki pointed to them, and Gundham’s face dropped. He mumbled something Ibuki barely picked up on. “Mom says to stay away from those. They make you angry and mean.”

Ibuki quickly formulated a plan. “If this drink is evil, all Ibuki has to do is get rid of them!” Ibuki reached out to grab a bottle, until Gundham grabbed her arm. He looked at her in horror. “Don’t touch them. Dad doesn’t like it when we touch the bottles.” Ibuki looked at Gundham, and perked up again. “Ibuki has a Dad too?!” Ibuki started jumping up and down again, with an excitement Gundham couldn’t understand.

~~~

As Kaiya walked into the kitchen to make dinner, Ibuki finally settled down a bit and started asking Gundham about his favorite things. Kaiya could overhear Gundham answering “Hamsters” and “Mom” to most of her questions, until Ibuki asked a very different question. “Who’s Gundham’s favorite friend?”

Kaiya paused for a second, until the smell of burning mushrooms caught her attention. She listened for Gundham’s answer, hoping he wouldn’t get upset. Gundham finally spoke up, “I don’t have any friends.” There was silence for a few seconds.

“WHAT?! Brother doesn’t have any friends? How? Everyone has friends!” Ibuki kept raving about how she didn’t understand. Gundham slowly felt worse and worse at each passing comment, until Ibuki finally said something special: “How can people not be Gundham’s friend?! Gundham’s amazing!!”

Gundham looked at Ibuki, astounded. He couldn’t believe it. Another kid had finally complimented him. All he ever got at daycare was mean comments from the pigtail girl, weird looks from the shark boy, and sympathetic glances from the band-aid girl. He couldn’t help himself.

He started crying.

Ibuki realized his tears and started to panic. “Oh no!! Is brother hurt? Why is he crying? Did Ibuki say something?” Ibuki went into another tangent, until Gundham pulled her into another hug. “I don’t get compliments.” He mumbled into her ear.  
Ibuki pushes him back out to look him in the eyes.

“Okay then! Ibuki’s gonna compliment you so much, other people are gonna start complimenting you so they can fit in with Ibuki!”  
Her smile was enough for Gundham to perk back up, and he spoke up again.

“Let me try.” He said, looking her up and down. “You’re really good at making people cry.” Gundham didn’t realize how bad that sounded until he said it, but before he could apologize, Ibuki cooed. “You mean it? Ibuki thought so too! Ibuki’s awesome at making people cry!” 

Kaiya couldn’t help but laugh as the two began a back and forth compliment contest.

~~~

As Kaiya set the plates down I front of the two, she hoped for the best. The mushrooms were burnt, the potatoes were runny, and while the veggie burgers were decent, she wasn’t sure Ibuki would enjoy them. Ibuki looked down at the plate, confused by the conflicting appearance and scent. Gundham simply gulped and began eating his mushrooms.

Kaiya didn’t miss the small grimace he made at the first bite, but he chocked it down nonetheless. Ibuki followed his example, and went to try the mushrooms. However, Ibuki wasn’t good at being subtle, and spit out the mushrooms with her usual vigor.

“This is gross!” Ibuki said, pushing the plate away a from her. Kaiya saw this and couldn’t help but let out a whimper. She failed her children yet again, but no matter what she did she couldn’t help it. Gundham picked up on the tell tale sign of rejection, and poked Ibuki in the arm.

“What?” Ibuki asked, looking at Gundham. The boy pulled his sister close and whispered in her ear. “The food isn’t good, but pretend that it is.” Ibuki was baffled. Pretend bad food was good? Was it a game? She nodded and dragged her plate back.

Ibuki watched as Gundham’s silently ate his mushrooms, and decided that she was going to be the winner of the “pretending bad food is good food” game. She put the fork in her mouth, and gasped. The food was still awful, but Ibuki is great at playing pretend!

“Ibuki thought the mushrooms were bad, but now that Ibuki got a second bite, the mushrooms are a lot less bad!” Ibuki beamed, proud of her “redemption”. Gundham simply shook his head, but Kaiya appreciated the effort nonetheless.

~~~

As the two children slowly began winding down for the night, Kaiya contemplated if it was time for them to go to bed. She took one final look at them for confirmation, only to be greeted with a sight of Gundham hugging his hamster plush (Shone-N), trying his hardest to keep his eyes open. Ibuki, however, was sprawled out on the floor, without a care in the world.

Kaiya stood up with a groan, and got the attention of the two toddlers. “Alright you two, I think it’s time for bed.” At the thought of having to go to sleep, Ibuki shot up. “Nuh-uh! Ibuki doesn’t wanna go to sleep!” Ibuki said, shaking her head. Gundham simply stood up and walked towards his bedroom. Once again, Ibuki was astounded. How could he want to go to bed? Sleep is so boring!

Before she knew it, Ibuki had been scooped up by her mom, and was being hefted off towards her bedroom. Once inside, Ibuki saw Gundham already in his hamster onesie, and he was sitting by the bookshelf. Ibuki was plopped down on her bed, and Kaiya began detailing what she had to do. Brush her teeth, put on her pajamas, and pick out a story book.

At the thought of story time, Ibuki decided to speed through her nightly duties. She ran into the bathroom, grabbed the first toothbrush in sight (Gundham’s), sprayed toothpaste all over the vanity, and viscously scrubbed at her teeth.

She then darted back into the bedroom, clawed into her suitcase, grabbed the first pair of pajamas she saw, and started changing right then and there. Gundham panicked, and pulled the covers over his head to hide from the situation. Kaiya shook her head as Ibuki sat down on her bed, book in hand.

“Okay Ibuki, since it’s your first night here, we’ll read your story tonight.” Kaiya smiled, pulling up a rocking chair and grabbing the book. The cover read “Miss Aria and the Rainbow Guitar”. If looks could kill, Gundham would have sliced the book in half. Kaiya hoped its looks were deceiving.

“Once upon a time, there was an ordinary woman named Miss Aria.” Kaiya began, with Ibuki already cheering. “She was a simple woman, with an office job and no children or spouse.” Gundham frowned, due to the odd vibe the book was giving him. “Miss Aria has only one hobby: music!”

At the mention of music, Ibuki leapt out of the covers and started shredding an air guitar. Kaiya laughed at the display, as Gundham’s frown softened slightly. “One day, Miss Aria decided her life was too boring: so she went on a quest!” Ibuki beamed, sitting on the edge of her seat, even though she knew how the story ended.

“Miss Aria began the hunt for the Rainbow Guitar, a magical instrument that shot candy from the top and dispensed soda at the bottom.” Ibuki snickered, and spoke up “Ibuki thinks it dispenses Skittles and Grape Soda!”

“Miss Aria has to fend off the fiends of the underworld-“ Gundham finally looked interested. “-until she met Twinbellows, Guardian of the Underworld!” Ibuki gasped, and Gundham chuckled. Kaiya grinned once more.

“After a decisive battle between the two, they reached an agreement. If Twinbellows surrendered the Rainbow Guitar, then Miss Aria would visit every Tuesday and Thursday to give his soda and take him on walks.” Ibuki and Gundham looked at each other.

“The two warriors lived as great friends for the rest of time. The end.” Kaiya closed the book only to see the two children looking at one another. Gundham spoke first.

“Hear my call, musical mortal, for I am the wrangler of Twinbellows, Tanaka the Forbidden One!” Gundham struck a pose from under his covers, while Ibuki jumped up and down on her bed. “Ooh, ooh! Ibuki is Ibuki, the most talented musician this side of Japan!”

“A fine feat indeed, mortal, but you seek something you cannot possess: the Rainbow Guitar!” Gundham exclaimed, holding up Ibuki’s you ukulele. Ibuki, once again, gasped. “Okay Mr. Forbidden One, Ibuki has a deal! Ibuki takes back her Guitar, and you can have a goodnights sleep!”

Gundham paused for a moment, before making his choice. “Very well mortal. An overlord must be well rested if he wishes to rule a kingdom.” Ibuki rushes over, grabbed the ukulele, and ran back to bed. After Kaiya returned their bedsheets, she turned out the light.

She walked over to Ibuki’s bed first, kneeled down, and kissed Ibuki on the forehead. Ibuki cooed at the action, and kissed her on the nose. As Kaiya walked over to Gundham, she kissed his forehead as well, and in return, Gundham gave her a forehead kiss as well.

“Goodnight, you two.” Kaiya said, slowly closing the door. “Goodnight Mom!” Ibuki exclaimed, energy every preset. “‘night mom.” Gundham mumbled, exhaustion setting in. Kaiya simply smiled to herself and closed the door.


	2. Two Sides of a Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundham and Ibuki spend their first day of daycare together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> From this point on, this fic is going to be dealing with some heavy topics. They won’t be constant, and this story will remain mostly happy, but it will deal with and abusive parent and alcoholism. Gundham and Ibuki’s father won’t be physically abusive to them as children, but he will be verbally abusive. He WILL be violent with Kaiya, but, under no circumstances will he sexually abuse anyone. If you are uncomfortable with any o those heavy topics, skip past any segments marked with the === divider.

Gundham couldn’t help but worry as his mom walked him and Ibuki to the front doors of the daycare. Children were viscous, especially pigtail girl and suit boy. What if they made fun of Ibuki? What if Ibuki became friends with everyone and left him behind? What if Ibuki made fun of him as well?

Ibuki looked between her mom and Gundham. While Kaiya was trying her best to keep the mood light, Gundham wasn’t making things easy. He kept a scowl on his face and refused to speak. As the trio walked through into the building, Ibuki started pulling her mom towards the front desk. This was daycare! They got to hang out with all sorts of kids, and make a bunch of different friends!

Kaiya smiled at the worker, a familiar boy, as he greeted them with an even bigger grin. “Welcome back guys! How long are we keeping my favorite sidekick today?” Kaiya chuckled. He’s eager as ever. “Well, Gundham is going to be staying until 2:30, Kaito. But, he’ll being staying with his sister. Kaito shot up from his seat, and peered over the counter.

“Holy smokes! I didn’t even see her! All right! Love it when new kids join!” Ibuki smiled at the guy. He seemed nice, and seemed like he had Ibuki levels of energy. “All we need is her name, birthday, and who her guardians are.”

“Ooh, can Ibuki answer these?” Ibuki raised her hand high above her head, waving it at her mother. “Of course sweetie.” Kaiya was happy Ibuki was energetic. It broke down the walls children tended to put up.

“Ibuki’s name is Ibuki, and she was born on November 13th! Her mama picks her up!” Ibuki grinned, radiating smugness. Gundham simply stood and stared at Kaito, who was slamming his fists together. “All right! With that out of the way, you can head to the classroom. You want your mom to take you down?”

Ibuki and Gundham stared between each other, having a conversation with only their eyes. “If Ibuki goes without mommy, she’ll be the cool, brave kid!” “If our mom doesn’t walk us down, I’m not going in there.” During this mental conversation, Kaiya and Kaito simply looked between each other, and nodded. 

“Okay you two, I have an idea.” Kaiya began kneeling down to their level. “How about mom walks Gundham into the classroom, but Ibuki walks in all by herself first.” Gundham and Ibuki shared one final glance, before they nodded in agreement. Gundham grabbed his mother’s hand, and the trio began walking (not before Ibuki waved to Kaito with as much energy as possible)

~~~

After Kaiya dropped the duo off, Gundham began walking towards his cubby, and informed Ibuki she should take the cubby next to his (no one got too close to the scary kid). Ibuki listened, deciding she could be Gundham’s cubby buddy. Gundham then sat down at his table: one overcast with shadows, the plastic chairs cold and all but one unused.

Before Gundham could pull anything out however, the two teaching assistants walked over to them. Ibuki could read one name tag, but the other was illegible. The girl kneeled down to her level. “Hello little one! You must be the new girl Kaito informed us about!” Ibuki looked up at the girl’s smiling form. The man next to her spoke up.

“If new friend could introduce herself to class, Gonta would be very happy!” The woman nodded. “Angie would also be very pleased!” Ibuki looked between the two of them, and grinned. “Ibuki wants to do that! Then everyone gets to see how great Ibuki is!”

Ibuki followed the two to the front of the classroom, where the teacher had been waiting. She stood quietly, waiting for the class to notice her, until she waved to them. Ibuki was greeted with a chorus of “Good Morning, Miss Harukawa!”, and Ibuki looked up to the teacher.

“Alright class. We have a new student with us today. Say hello, Ibuki.” Miss Harukawa said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ibuki smiled, and waved to her class. “Hello Everyone! Ibuki’s name is Ibuki, and she wants to be friends with everyone here!” The class nodded. As far as introductions went, this was normal enough, save the third person speak.

“Oh! Ibuki also wants everybody to be friends with Gundham! He’s Ibuki’s brother! Hi, Gundham!” With that, the class spun around, bewildered that these two could be siblings. Ray of sunshine Ibuki and kid in the corner Gundham are siblings? Gundham simply buried his face his scarf, his usual defense mechanism.

Maki signaled for Ibuki to go sit down, and she ran back to sit next to Gundham. She grinned at him, proud of herself. Now everyone would want to know more about Ibuki, because she was the cool friendly new girl with a slightly less cool but still totally cool brother! Gundham sighed. This was going to be a long day.

~~~

By the time snack time rolled around, Gundham was ready to silently chew on carrots and pretzels while looking out the window to watch the birds. But Ibuki had a different idea. She picked up her snack bag, grabbed Gundham by the arm, and pulled him towards the closet table.

Gundham gasped and tried to scramble out of Ibuki’s grasp as he realized whose table he was heading toward. Pigtail girl. Ibuki stopped right in front of the two girls at the table, and reintroduced herself.

“Hi! Ibuki’s name is Ibuki, and this is Gundham!” She held up his arm when she said his name, and Gundham pulled his face into his scarf. “We were wondering if you wanted to be our friends!” Ibuki shouted, leaning towards the girls. A wave of silence washed over the four kids, until someone laughed. “Yeah right, you two are weird! I wanna squish you like an ant!” Pigtail girl pointed in Ibuki’s face, until the red haired girl pulled her arm down. Before Ibuki could say another word, Gundham put his hand over her mouth, and dragged her back to their table.

As soon as Gundham powered his hand, Ibuki spoke up. “She was mean! Ibuki doesn’t like her!” Ibuki crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out in her direction. Gundham shook his head, and Ibuki turned back around to him. “Okay Gundham! Let’s have you try! Whose’s table to you want to go to?” Gundham blushed at the question, and pointed to a table with a girl in band-aids and a girl in a poofy dress.

“Okay! Let’s go be friends with them!” Ibuki began pulling again, only for Gundham to comply this time. The siblings walked over to the table, and Ibuki began her introduction again. Same hello, same arm lift, same scarf pull, and same wave of silence. Only this time, instead of laughter, band-aid girl began to cry. Gundham panicked, and Ibuki smiled. Before she could speak, however, Gundham cut her off.

“Are you okay?” He asked looking at the sobbing girl. All she did was smile, wiping away her tears. “I-I-I’m o-okay...p-people just don’t u-usually want to be m-my...fr-friend.” Ibuki gasped, having a similar reaction to when Gundham spoke about his lack of friends. Before she could start accidentally insulting the already meek girl, the princess girl spoke up. “We would be delighted to be your friends! This is an amazing day, right Mikan?” The two girls looked at one another, until “Mikan” nodded.

“Great! Now Ibuki wants to know your names! So Ibuki can make cool nicknames from them!” Gundham simply nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. The princess spoke first. “My name is Sonia Nevermind, the Princess of Novoselic!” She struck a small pose, and Gundham lightly smiled. Mikan spoke next. “M-M-Mikan T-Tsumiki...I’m n-not very s-special...sorry.” She looked ready to cry again, until Ibuki pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay! Ibuki can be extra special just for you!” Mikan smiled at that, satisfied with the answer.

“So, do you two wish to sit with us?” Sonia asked, moving her seat over to make room. Ibuki leapt from Mikan’s embrace and into a chair, pulling out her snack and showing it to Mikan. Gundham hesitated, nodded, and slowly sat down next to Sonia. She inquired about his snacks, and he showed her his treasures. Maybe Ibuki was right. Friends were pretty good.

~~~

“Okay little ones! If you could all follow Angie outside, it is time to play!” Most kids got up and walked for the exit, exception to a girl with short brown hair, and a boy who looked strong enough to bench his entire class, who ran at top speeds to get to the playground. 

The group stood from their table, ready to go play with their classmates. Ibuki began running to the door, eager to explore the structures outside. Sonia jogged to keep up with her, and Mikan tried to match her pace. Gundham was lagging behind, fearful of what he could be roped into if he ran out like the others. 

As Gundham finally joined the girls outside, Ibuki had already started climbing on anything she could see (the swing set, the jungle gym, Gonta). Mikan looked at her as she climbed to the top of the slide, and quietly asked “d-d-do you t-think she’ll f-fall? I-I don’t want her g-getting h-hurt...”. Gundham shook his head. In the 24 hours he knew Ibuki, she hadn’t fallen down once. She wasn’t going to fall now.

Sonia frowned, and pointed to Gonta pulling her down from from the top of the rock wall. “I don’t believe we’ll need to worry about that any more.”  
The trio paused for a moment, before rushing over to Ibuki. They arrived just in time to hear Gonta “scolding” her.

“Climbing up to high places is dangerous for little ones! Falling would not be good!” Gonta had a smile on his face as he explained. Even when asserting his authority, he was still a ray of sunshine. Ibuki smiled back at him, cocked her head and asked a question. “If Ibuki could get hurt climbing up the wall, then why is the wall here?” Gonta seemed to pause at that, putting his hand in his chin in thought. “Gonta does not know. Gonta will be back with an answer momentarily.” The gentle giant ran off into the building, but not before playing a quick game of hopscotch with Pigtail girl.

Ibuki grinned, and looked back at her friends. “All right! Now the adults aren’t watching Ibuki! Ibuki can do whatever she wants to!” The trio gasped, all for different reasons. “That’s amazing Ibuki! Imagine everything we can do without supervision!” Sonia beamed, thinking about all the activities her parents told her no to. Mikan gulped, and looked ready to cry. “W-w-w-we can’t d-d-do t-that! W-we c-could get hurt! O-o-or get in t-trouble!” Gundham frowned, looked at Ibuki, and asked a question of his own. “Why would we disobey the adults? They have us in their best interest.”

Ibuki simply kept smiling, and decided to answer their qualms. “It’s simple! We disobey adults because they stop us from doing fun things! Like petting wild animals!” Gundham nodded slowly at that. Mom did tell him not to touch the groundhogs in the backyard. “And if we do it smart, we won’t get hurt, or get in any trouble!” Mikan stopped shivering, lost in thought. She always looked to the worst outcome, but maybe it won’t happen? “And Sonia is totally right! We can do all the stuff our parents told us not too! So, who’s with me!” Ibuki raised a fist into the air, rallying her troops. Sonia loudly cheered back, eager for a new adventure. Mikan let out a weak “yay!”, and Gundham nodded in approval.

~~~

The four reached the fence of the daycare. This was it. Their final frontier. All they had to do was get past this fence and they were home free! “Okay everyone, Ibuki wants to ask: what is everyone going to do out there?” She turned to her gang, curiosity in her voice. Gundham was the first to speak. “I wanna go pet the animals.” He pulled his face into his scarf, and Sonia cooed. Mikan rose her hand, and spoke next. “I-I just w-wanna go h-home. I m-miss my mom and d-dad.” Ibuki put a hand on her shoulder, and Mikan let a few tears slip. Before anything could escalate, Sonia added her two cents. “I want to go to the big candy store on Main Street and buy everything there!” Ibuki nodded. This was a great idea! All of her friends were going on an adventure!

“Okie-Dokie! Now, how does Ibuki get past the fence?” Ibuki pondered, hoping her teammates would help her out. However, they seemed equally puzzled. Sonia snapped her fingers, getting everyone’s attention. “How about we all stand on each other’s shoulders and get one of us over the top! Then, we could pull each other over and eat out!” Ibuki thought about it for a moment, before speaking. “Okay! Good idea! Now, who’s going where on the ladder? Ibuki’s the leader, so she should be at the top and pull people up!” The group went silent again, until Gundham raised his hand. “Bottom” was all he said, and that was enough for Ibuki. Sonia looked at Mikan, and pointed to her. “How about you get on Gundham’s shoulders first? That way, you only have to help pull Gundham up, and if you fall, it won’t be from very high up!” Mikan nodded at the idea, and the group got into position.

Gundham stood at the base of the fence, placed his hands on the fence and braced himself. Mikan slowly climbed up to his shoulders (with a little push from Sonia). Once she got on his shoulders, Mikan wobbled a bit a squealed. Gundham shot his hands up to hold her, but lost his balance for a second. Ibuki and Sonia watched the two as the shook around, Mikan hugging Gundham’s head for dear life, and Gundham wobbling around blind.

Eventually, the two steadied out, and Ibuki helped Sonia onto Mikan’s shoulders. With significantly less shaking, the tower of toddlers steadied out, and Ibuki began her ascension. She kicked Gundham’s head while climbing, accidentally ripped off one of Mikan’s band-aids, eliciting another squeal from the girl, and finally pulled herself onto Sonia’s shoulders. Ibuki reached her arms out to the fence, and put her hands on the top. They were almost there! She could taste freedom! Ibuki leaned forward, causing the tower to tip.

Mikan looked down at the ground, praying she wouldn’t fall. Sure, she wasn’t as high up as Ibuki or Sonia, but she was still twice her normal height! She tightened her grip on Sonia’s legs, and looked straight forward at the fence. There, she saw a web. A spider web. With the spider. Still. In. It.

The scream could be heard throughout the daycare, with Mikan lurching back to get away from the spider. Gundham looked up, only to be greeted with the sight of a sobbing Mikan. Sonia looked down, only to be greeted with the same sight. The reached her hands down to hold Mikan’s face, trying to calm her down. In the process of doing so, however, she released her grip on Ibuki, causing the girl to swing forward and be suspended in the air. Ibuki tried to look back, but couldn’t turn all the way. She could only helplessly hang on to the fence and try to pull herself up.

With the sudden shift in weight, Gundham finally buckled. His legs gave in and the tower came crashing down. Now, all three members of the tower trio were crying, some more silent than others. Gonta and Angie rushed over to the children, with Kaito not too far behind. Ibuki kicked her legs back and forth, trying to pul herself over the fence. 

Gundham felt helpless as Kaito pulled him out from under the mess of tangled limbs that was Mikan and Sonia. He felt tears burning in his eyes, and a throbbing pain in his head. Kaito put a hand on his shoulder, and asked if he was alright. At that, Gundham simply broke down and sobbed for his mom, Ibuki, Shone-N, anyone, to hold him. Kaito just patted him on the back and lifted him up. Something was better than nothing.

Gonta helped Mikan to her feet, only for the girl to crumple back into a ball of tears. Gonta then decided it would be a better idea to simply hold the girl. “Now, now, what is Mikan’s problem?” Gonta asked, concern lacing his tone. Mikan could only reply with a multitude of apologies, mentioning something about a spider. Gonta simply held her closer, deciding to deal with the presumably traumatized arachnid later.

Sonia ran into Angie’s open arms, sobbing. Angie looked down at the small princess, scanning her over. She found a small scrape on her knee, but nothing major. She hummed a tune and picked the girl up. “Everything is okay, Sonia. No one is hurt. Be happy!” At that, Angie began spinning in a circle, twirling Sonia around like a ballerina dancer. Sonia’s cries faltered, until she broke into laughter. Quick to cheer up, Angie noted.

Maki was the final care giver to arrive at the scene, spotting Ibuki clamoring to get over the fence. She simply plucked her from the barrier, and put her on the ground. At this, Ibuki ran back to the fence and attempted to climb up it, only to have her hands grasp nothing, and her feet not leave the ground. Maki shook her head, and grabbed Ibuki’s hands. She looked the energetic girl in the eyes, and asked a question to her co-workers: what happened. A choir of “I don’t know”, “There was a spider”, and “Sonia has a boo-boo!” rang out. Maki frowned at the answers, and asked her compatriots to bring the other 12 children inside.

As everyone but the group of sniffling children and the only stern and scary adult at the daycare remained outside, Maki turned to the four troublemakers and asked them the same question as before: what happened. No one said a word, until Mikan snapped under the pressure. “W-w-w-we w-were t-t-trying t-to s-sneak over t-the f-f-fence!” After admitting to her crime, Mikan returned to her sobbing, becoming an incoherent mess. Gundham spoke next, shame lacing his tone. “I wanted to pet the forest animals” he pulled his face back into his scarf, hiding his blush and wiping his face. “We thought we could go on an adventure, just the four of us!” Sonia said, defending the crying duo where they couldn’t defend themselves. Ibuki finally spoke up. “Ibuki thought that we could have fun as friends, but Ibuki made things all bad and now everyone is hurt and mad at Ibuki!”

Maki shook her head once more, and looked at the four children. “Are any of you hurt?” Sonia raised on hand and pointed to her knee with the other. Gundham nodded, and put a hand on his head. Mikan frowned, shook her head, and started bawling again after realizing she was okay, but her friends were hurt. Ibuki also shook her head, ashamed of herself. She let down her friends, and now everyone was in trouble, and they were gonna hate her like everyone at the orphanage, and-

“Gundham. Sonia. You two go inside and tell Angie you’re hurt. She’ll help you get better. Mikan, I want you to go inside, have Gonta walk you down to your happy place, and let you calm down. Ibuki, I want you to speak with Kaito about why this happened so he can inform everyone’s parents. In the mean time, I believe you owe an apology to your friends.” Maki said, serious tone never once faltering. Ibuki looked at her brother, then her best friend, and her other best friend, and looked at the ground. “Ibuki’s sorry. She just thought everyone would have fun. Petting animals, eating candy, going home to watch t.v with our mommies and daddies. But Ibuki messed up, and now everyone is hurt. Ibuki’s super-duper sorry.”

At that, Sonia smiled. “All is well that ends well, Ibuki! I have forgiven you.” Mikan began crying even harder, pulling Ibuki into a hug. A flurry of thank you’s and I’m sorry’s came flying at Ibuki, until Mikan calmed down a bit. Gundham looked at her, and pulled her into a quick hug. Words weren’t his strong suit.

After all the apologies and forgivenesses were handed out, the children followed the instructions given to them, and before they knew it, they were all back together at the plastic table, drawling with crayons and telling stories. Having friends was fun, Ibuki thought, but also super exhausting.

She could get used to this.

~~~

As the clock struck two, Gundham and Ibuki stood up and walked to their cubbies. Sonia’s parents picked her up an hour ago, and Mikan’s were just now coming in (the small girl, of course, ran into their legs, sobbing about how she missed them). Gundham looked over at Ibuki, and smiled. She had only gotten in trouble one time today, and only got made fun of once by pigtail girl. Quite the feats!

Ibuki thanked Angie and Gonta, both caregivers giving smiles as sweet as sugar, before Gundham pulled her away. He was eager to get back to his mom. He had a long day, and an even longer list of things to tell her. The two toddlers stood by Kaito’s desk, until they saw their mom walking towards the glass doors. Ibuki ran up to the door, tried pushing it, and gave up after realizing she couldn’t reach (she had enough child ladders for one day, thank you).

As Kaiya walked through the front doors, she scooped up a giggling Ibuki and smiled as Gundham held onto her leg like it was the only thing keeping him alive. For all she knew, it was his only motivation to make it through the day. She looked to Kaito, and he began to explain what had happened during outside time. Instead of the scolding Ibuki expected, and the disowning Gundham feared, Kaiya simply smiled a sweet grin, and looked down at her children. “All’s well that ends well.” She said. Ibuki and Gundham looked at each other. They still had their mom, and still got to be siblings! Awesome!

Kaiya signed the release forum, and walked out of the daycare with the two “troublemakers”. She buckled them into their car seats, listening to Ibuki tell her about story time, and Gundham showed her another Hamster drawing. He was getting better, but he was still a toddler. As she sat down in the driver’s seat, she heard Ibuki gasp. “Ooh! Mom! Gundham and I made our first friends today!” At this, Kaiya’s eyes widened in shock. It happened. Gundham finally had friends to call his own. After 6 months of daycare and 3 years on this earth, he finally made friends with another human child. She barely had time to catch the names (Mikan and Sonia. Remember those names for the rest of your life), before she remembered she had to get them home. She started up the car, kept the radio off, and instead listened to Ibuki talk about her day.

At a stoplight, Gundham finally said his own two cents on his friends, mentioning how Sonia had a nice vocabulary, and how Mikan needed to work on her self confidence. It wasn’t until they were 2/3s of the way home Ibuki mentioned how pretty she thought Sonia’s dress was, and how Gundham blushed when Ibuki called it cute. It wasn’t until they were in the driveway that Gundham mentioned they played doctor with Mikan, how she had to check their reflexes, and how Ibuki accidentally kicked Gundham during one of the tests.

Things were looking up for the Tanakas.

===

Things couldn’t be worse.

Gundham looked out the window, petrified as he saw the familiar black car pull into the driveway. He was here. He was back, and he was going to get mad at mom for bringing Ibuki home, and she was going to get kicked out, and Gundham would loose his friends, and he would go back to being sad, and ohgodhe’scomingthroughthefrontdoor

Everyone in the house froze. Kaiya steeled herself, ready to defend her children at all costs. Ibuki froze, before running up to the door before Gundham could stop her. When the front door opened, Ibuki was greeted with a sight she wished she had never seen. A tall, muscular man with jet black hair stared down at her, before moving her out of the way and walking into the kitchen. Before she could walk back up to the man, Gundham grabbed her hand and began walking to their bedroom.

Ibuki didn’t understand. Who was that man, and why is she going to bed? She hasn’t had dinner yet! And Gundham looked scared again. Why was he scared? There wasn’t a monster in the house was there? Was that guy a monster hunter? Gundham looked at her as they stopped in the bedroom, and he began o speak in a hushed voice. “Don’t touch him. He doesn’t like being touched.” Ibuki’s mind began racing, before a crash from the kitchen cut off her train of thought. Before she realized what was happening, she and Gundham were racing down the hall, trying to see what happened.

Once they reached the kitchen, Ibuki was greeted with a sight she wanted to forget for the rest of her life. Her mother, her sweet and innocent mother, was cowering in the corner in the face of this man, thing, monster, whatever, that was her father. She couldn’t understand the words, but she was frightened nonetheless. He was so loud. And scary. Gundham wordlessly walked over to his mother’s side and held her leg. He was worried about her. Ibuki could only clearly hear one thing her mother said: “She’s my daughter Akuma! Your-no, OUR, daughter!”

Ibuki couldn’t help but cry at the scene. She was scared. Her mother was scared. Gundham was scared. And the beast was still roaring. Ibuki smelled the burning of...something. But she didn’t care. Mommy was in danger. And suddenly, as quickly as it began, it ended. “Akuma”’ turned around and left the house again, and Kaiya was crying over the stovetop. Ibuki could see the red mark on her mother’s cheek. Did he...hit mommy?

Ibuki’s world fell apart.

Families were supposed to be two happy parents and some kids who were also happy! One parent, one monster, and two eccentric siblings! What was happening? Was that Gundham’s arm around her waist? Or her mom’s She didn’t care. Someone needed to hold her.

Gundham could only idly watch by again as that demon hit his angel of a mother yet again. And now Ibuki was crying too. He just wanted to comfort them both, but Kaiya decided to power through her pain (physical and emotional), as she picked up Gundham. She turned off the stove, dumping the burnt contents into the trash, and she wrapped an arm around Ibuki’s waist. She hefted the two off to the couch, sat them down, and pulled them close. The three of them sat in silence, only greeted with the occasional whimper.’ The entire time, Kaiya simply sat there and held onto her children. She would protect these two.

No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder: I will give a warning at the beginning of each chapter that features Akuma. I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable while reading this passion project of mine.


	3. Beach Episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundham, Ibuki and Kaiya take a trip to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the only thing Ibuki says about her childhood in sdr2.

Mikan stared at the siblings in awe. She had only ever dreamed of going to the beach, and they were going there for an entire weekend! Ibuki was prattling on about building a sand castle big enough to live in, while Gundham only made the occasional comment about wanting so watch the seagulls. Sonia was in her own state of awe, one much more knowing that Mikan’s. Going to the beach was an exceptional experience, and to go for a weekend? Phenomenal!

Ibuki looked at her friends, and smiled to herself. Sure, they’ve been friends for a good two years now, but Ibuki will always continue to amaze! She basked in the glory of their admiration, only for Gundham to snap her out of it. “I wish you guys could come.” He muttered, glancing at the floor. Oh yeah. Ibuki kinda forget about that part. Mikan followed Gundham’s gaze, blush creeping up her cheeks. “Y-yeah...I-I w-wish I c-could go too.” She mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes. Sonia simply smiled once more. She had an idea!

“What if Mikan and I asked our parents if we could go to the beach this weekend! I’m sure they’ll understand!” Sonia beamed, ever hopeful for the best. The beach was a good 4 hour drive from home, sure, but it was worth it!” Mikan simply let her tears fall, stuttering more than usual. “I-I-I c-can’t! M-m-my p-parents a-are taking me t-to my G-Grandma’s place! I-I-I couldn’t l-let down my Grandma!” She had begun sobbing. Sonia’s father walked into the room, saw that it was Mikan crying, and decided the other children should handle this one. They knew her best.

“Well, maybe your grannie could take you!” Ibuki shouted, warning a wince from the meek girl. “B-but my Grandma lives f-five hours from here! I-in the opposite direction!” Mikan was shouting at this point, frustrated that she couldn’t have a fun day at the beach with her friends. Gundham simply nodded, and asked a question. “Does your Grandmother have any pets?” Silence came over the group. What did this have to do with the beach? Mikan nodded, quietly answering. “She has a few cats. They’re n-nice to me.” Gundham smiled back at her. His plan was foolproof. “Then, you quest has yet to end! Arrive at my house at 8 a.m tomorrow. I shall allow you to borrow our personal pool. Though it is small, you could have a beach day of your own with the felines of your elder!”

Another wave of silence came crashing down on the children. That is, until Mikan laughed. She looked up at Gundham, wipes the tears from her eyes, and smiled at him. “I-It’s not as good a-as the real beach, b-but it’s something! A-and my Grandma’s cats love bath time!” The two began their own discussion on the stereotypes of cats, and how many of them Mikan’s cats broke. Sonia giggled, and looked over at Ibuki. “I suppose I should refrain from asking my parents if I could attend. It would be unfair to Mikan. Instead, I shall simply ask my parents if I could swim in my own pool.” Sonia flashed her a smile, a small sense of remorse coming from behind it. Of course anyone would be sad about not going to the beach!

It’s the beach!

~~~

Gundham sat down next to Ibuki, mentally preparing himself for the 4 hour car ride. His list of car activities were limited: he couldn’t read, since it made him car sick. He couldn’t sleep, due to his motion sickness, and car rides were too bumpy for him to draw. So, he opted for his final option: Shone-N. Of course, the dark lord himself was more than just a vessel of entertainment for him, but Gundham has to admit he was still quite fun to play with. He pulled out the other stuffed animals he brought with him (a small frog plush and a wolf plush), and began their epic quest.

He pressed the three animals against the window of the car, the moving scenery acting as a cutscene for the toys. Once they reached their “destination”, the animals were placed into Gundham’s lap, ready to fight against his mighty serpent (aka an old green tube sock Gundham stuck marble eyes and a fabric tongue onto). The battle was catastrophic, causing even the Mighty Shone-N to sweat. As the final blow was laid, the serpent fell. They were victorious yet again! Gundham celebrated with the dark lord and his fellow disciples, only to be interrupted by something. Rather, someone.

Ibuki rolled her head into Gundham’s lap, looking up expectantly at her brother. The two simple stared at one another for a bit, until Ibuki broke the silence. “Ibuki’s bored! We should play a game!” Gundham put his hand to his chin, weighing his options. He didn’t know of many stationary games, and the ones he did know of were in boxes back home. But Ibuki never failed to surprise him. “Very well.” The boy muttered, with Ibuki shooting up in her seat.

“Okay! Ibuki wants to pick the first game! Let’s play “I’m having a baby and I Don’t know who the father is!””. The name of the game caused Kaiya to look at them in the rear view. Ibuki certainly had interesting names for her games, but this was something else entirely. Gundham’s brow furrowed, but he decided to continue. “How do we play?” He asked. How would one play a game with such an odd title? Ibuki smiled, and started her explanation. “Okay! You pick any one girl in from our Kindergarten class, and pick who the father of her kid would be!” Gundham blushed at the prospect of the game. Playing matchmaker with his classmates seemed...off putting at the least, and downright offensive at worst.

“Fine then. I will begin. Tell me if I’m playing wrong.” Gundham began to think. The portly boy who found a new “friend” every week seemed like the kind to call the stork and not be present for the delivery, but the girls in his class hardly paid him any kind. Then, he settled on the energetic duo of the class. “What about Akane and Nekomaru?” Ibuki chuckled at the thought, and gave Gundham a thumbs up. “That’s the spirit! Now it’s Ibuki’s turn, and she already knows her answer!” Gundham smiled. Perhaps this game wasn’t so awful. “What about brother and Mikan?”

Gundham took it back. This was awful.

Kaiya was quick to intervene, already seeing the blush creeping up get son’s face. “Okay Ibuki, that’s enough of that game. How about we play something else, okay?” Ibuki seemed content with that. Any game could be fun, if yo played it right! “Now, what game should we play Ibuki?” Ibuki was quick to answer again. That was fast. “How about we play story time! Ibuki tells a story, everyone listens, and then someone else tells their story, and we go until everyone told a story!” While the concept seemed harmless, Kaiya feared for the worse. Ibuki put her hands on her hips, looked Gundham dead in the eyes, and vegan her story. “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Mikan, and her royal knight of darkness Gundham! The two were best friends, and they always fought together.” Gundham perked up at this. Stories where we assumed the position of the lord of darkness were bound to be pleasant. “They fought against monsters, and demons, and old ladies in the fish isle of supermarkets!” But one day, Mikan proposed a question to Gundham.” Suddenly, Kaiya got a very bad feeling about this. “The princess got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked if Gundham would be the overlord to her royal highness!”

Gundham tugged his scarf over his face, blush burning at his skin. This trip would be much longer than he ever dreamed it would.

~~~

Around the three hour mark, Ibuki finally crashed. She fell asleep and slumped over in her chair. Gundham sighed a breath of relief: He could finally have some peace and quite. He grabbed his plushes, and placed them back into his lap. The soft music coming from the radio helped boost the somber mood. His mother was humming to the tune, and Gundham closed his eyes. She was a very good singer. He found himself lost in his mother’s serenade.

Kaiya looked back to her children. Both were peacefully sleeping in the backseat, Gundham holding onto his toys like they were his source of life, and Ibuki had been mumbling in her sleep (something about a party?). Kaiya watched the scenery fly past her, and let her memories take control. Two years. She had been with Ibuki for two years. Her mind jumped between her escapades, ranging from her pantry heist a few weeks back, to her attempt of getting Gundham and Sonia married. She was very insistent the two liked each other, but whenever someone brought it up, Gundham simply hid his face.

She chuckled, and thought of their friends. They were sweet girls, albeit a bit extra. Mikan was like the baby of the group, and the other three did everything they could to protect her. Sonia was their leader, usually thinking up of games to play and planning their meetings. Ibuki was the diplomat, introducing new friends to the group, only for them to be driven off by the intensity of the quartet. Gundham held the role of protector, fending then off from any “fiends” they encountered. They all played a role in their group, and Kaiya thought that they all fit their part.

Before anyone realized it, Kaiya had parked in the parking lot of the hotel, ready to let her children properly rest. Akuma was on another “business trip” (aka he’s on a drinking and gambling spree, blowing his earnings on his own selfish desires, leading to their below average income.), and Kaiya thought it fair that her and her children should have a good time of their own. It was Ibuki’s idea to go to the beach, with Gundham tagging along with the intentions of befriending the birds and sea creatures.

She stepped out of the car, opened the door next on Ibuki’s side, and shook the girl awake. She knew Ibuki’s rise would wake Gundham up too, and while it was an unpleasant awakening, it was an effective one. Ibuki’s eyes shot open at her name, and she began bouncing in her seat. She saw the hotel, lunges over to Gundham, shouting that they were there. Gundham groggily opened his eyes, and threw his frog plush at her. Ibuki took the hint and unbuckled herself, while Gundham released his own restraint.

Kaiya grabbed the large bags, while Gundham and Ibuki grabbed their own bags. Gundham only brought enough to items to fill his backpack, so he took that with him. Ibuki, however, insisted that she use a blanket on a stick as her bag. So, Kaiya helped her make two stick bags, and Ibuki carried most of what she needed in them. Kaiya began to check them in, and told the two to stay in the lobby.

Ibuki looked around, fascinated by her surroundings. There was these plants in big jars, couches, really old carpeting, a fountain, wait a minute these plants were plastic! She looked back at the fountain, before getting an idea. She began walking towards it. Gundham quietly trailer behind her. If mom couldn’t watch Ibuki, he could.

Ibuki walked to the edge of the fountain, frowned, and turned around to Gundham. “Do you have a coin?” He simply shook his head. That sucks. Without a coin, she couldn’t make a wish! She pouted, and scanned the ground. There didn’t seem to be any coins around here. Except for the ones in the fountain. She went to grab one, until Gundham cleated his throat. She turned back to her brother, and waited for him to explain. “If you pull a coin out of the fountain, you’re gonna stop someone else’s wish from coming true.” Ibuki gasped, and drew her hand back. She couldn’t destroy someone else’s wishes! What kind of person would she be?!

Gundham walked back to his mother, and pulled on her pant leg. She looked down, and he asked a question: “Do you have any coins?” She raised an eyebrow, until she saw Ibuki at the fountain. She smiled, and handed him two coins. “One for you, and one for your sister.” He mumbled a quick thank you, and rushed back to Ibuki. He handed her a coin, and they stood by the edge of the fountain. Ibuki glanced at him, and said “On the count of three, we throw the coins in!” Gundham’s nodded in response. She began the countdown. One, Two, Three! Gundham flipped his coin into the fountain, while Ibuki’s threw hers into the fountain with all her might. They looked back at each other, and Ibuki had a glint in her eye. “So, what did ya’ wish for?” Gundham blushed, and pulled his face into his scarf. He wasn’t gonna tell her! He’d die of embarrassment! “If you say it out loud, it won’t come true.” Close one.

Ibuki shook her head, and pointed at Gundham. “Nuh-uh! That’s only true with birthday wishes! What did ya wish for?” Gundham stepped back, astounded that she caught him. He mumbled into his scarf, making sure she wouldn’t hear him. But, in his panic, he forget who he was mumbling to. Ibuki gasped, and then cooed. “Aw, brother wants Mikan to kiss him! That’s adorable! Mom! Gundham wish-“ Gundham our his hand over Ibuki’s mouth. “Tell me yours.” Ibuki pulled back and grinned, quick to answer. “Ibuki wished Mikan could go to the beach with her sometime soon!” Gundham flushed. Dang it, he couldn’t use that against her. Before he could process, Ibuki ran began running over to their mother. Gundham ran to catch up, but it was too late. She had been scooped up by their mother, and his secret was out. He’s going to have to run away. He’ll have to swim to Atlantis and join the Aquarian Society.

Kaiya smiled at Ibuki, the girl beaming in her arms. She had just finished signing the wavers that stated the hotel wasn’t responsible for any injuries that happened on their premises. She looked at her daughter, before Ibuki began to speak. “Hey mommy! Did you know! Gundham wished that Mikan would kiss him! Isn’t that adorable?! They’re adorable! Ibuki can’t wait for the wedding!” Kaiya simply sighed, looked between the rambling Ibuki and the frozen Gundham. She thought it was sweet. He had such a soft spot for the girl, it had become relatively obvious. She watched him hide in his scarf, only for her to call him over. He slowly began walking, hesitating out of shame. She simply walked over to their bags, placed Ibuki on the ground, and asked her to grab her bags. All the while, Ibuki hadn’t stopped talking, currently on the subject of what their children could look like.

Gundham stopped at by his mother, and looked up at her. She kneeled down, and told him that he could carry the room key. He gave a soft smile, eager to be the gatekeeper to their sacred realm. The trio walked to the elevator, and Kaiya asked if Ibuki could press the button. She obliged, and the three went up in silence. Once they reached their door, Gundham twisted the key and opened the barrier.

It was a simple room, with two queen beds, a sofa, a chair, a desk and a tv. The bathroom was also fairly simple, bearing the necessities. The most interesting part was the balcony to the room. Ibuki dropped her things and ran to the sliding glass doors, threw one open, and ran into the balcony. Kaiya slowly shut the door behind her, and picked Gundham up. She kissed him on the cheek, and whispered into his ear. “I, for one, think you have a very sweet dream.” He blushed, but kept the scarf down this time. “You won’t tell her, will you?” She chuckled, and placed him on one of the beds. “I won’t tell a soul.”

~~~

Gundham looked at himself in the mirror. He felt empty without his scarf. Even in the blistering heat of summer, he wore his trusted garb. But now, he could do no such thing. He was forced to leave his scarf behind, exposing his pale neck to the world. He slid his white t-shirt back on, and walked out of the bathroom. Ibuki and his mom has already changed, and Ibuki was currently trying on her mother’s sun hat. Sure, he and his mother were both incredibly pale, but only a fraction of that came from genetics. He grabbed Shone-N, and walked over to his mother. She smiled, and looked at the two children. “Alright you two. Are you ready?” Ibuki hopped off of her spot on the bed, and ran up to the door. Kaiya places her sun hat back on her head, and grabbed her bag. She asked Gundham if he could help her carry some things, and he gladly accepted. It was rare his mother ask him such tasks, so he had to impress when he could.

The trio walked to their car, ready for their beach day. Kaiya packer everything she deemed necessary: towels, sunscreen, a blanket to lay on the sand, an umbrella to rest under, more sunscreen, a picnic lunch, a book to read, and more sunscreen (Gundham burnt very easily). She looked back at her kids, taking note of their excitement. Ibuki was rambling again, shaking Gundham, and bouncing in her seat. Gundham, on the other hand, simply smiled and looked forward through the windshield.

It wasn’t long before they reached the beach, in all of it’s pristine glory. Kaiya found a parking spot, and helped the dynamic duo out of their seats. She and Gundham hauled off their bags and baskets, while Ibuki raced ahead. It was her job to use the umbrella to mark a spot, and she was gonna find a totally awesome spot, with sun and water and birds and shells and no annoying people or children, as per Gundham’s request. She finally found the perfect spot. Every qualification was met, as she slammed the umbrella down to mark her territory. She turned around, waving to the family. Kaiya looked around, saw her, and began making her way towards her.

The trio set down camp, with Kaiya establishing a few ground rules before either of them took off. First of all, they were to stay together. If one wanted to go into the water, the other was to either follow or keep them in their sights at all times. “It might be a get away, but I don’t want either of you getting away.” She said, putting a hand on each child’s shoulder. Then, she handed a tube of sunscreen to Gundham, and told him to keep it with him. As soon as they were given the go ahead, Ibuki grabbed Gundham’s arm and began to run towards the ocean. She stopped at the water, looked to him, and asked if he would join her. Gundham looked apprehensively at the water. Sure, he knew how to swim. Sure, we wanted to go meet the sea creatures. But he was still anxious. What if the tides pulled Ibuki away and he never saw her again? He gulped, and put on his goggles. He pulled the snorkel around his mouth, and walked into the ocean with Ibuki.

Ibuki began swimming around, eager to burn off a day’s worth of energy. She swam towards anything that moved, encountering over a dozen other children, a nice family how let her play with their beach ball for a bit, and a few very angry seagulls. The entire time she was adventuring, Gundham was underwater. He looked at the ocean floor, picking up seashells and watching whatever creature that laid beneath it scatter to find a new hiding spot. However, it was not the venture he had hoped for. Due to all the people kicking around, he wasn’t able to find anything but seashells and barnacles. He rose from the “depths”, and sighed as he removed the snorkel. He resigned himself to watching Ibuki swim towards another random kid, before laying his eyes on a new friend and ally: a lone seagull.

Quietly, he swam towards the bird, trying his hardest not to alert the critter. It didn’t seem to notice Gundham’s approach, until Gundham stopped next to it. It turned it’s head, and Gundham began his quest. He asked the bird what it’s name was, only to receive silence in return. He understood, however. After years of watching humans trounce upon his homeland, he too would be apprehensive when facing one of their kind. Gundham slowly extended a hand, holding his palm open to the skies. The bird watched him, and after a moment of consideration, flew from his perch of stone and onto the hand of his new master. If this avian had not a title, then the mighty Gundham Tanaka shall grant him one instead. The vessel was to be named Triton, named after the sea king that quivered before the power of Tanaka the a Forbidden One.

Gundham placed Triton on his head, and swam back to the shoreline. There, he allowed his newest subject to take flight. Upon closer realization, however, Gundham seemed something amiss. The vessel was lacking a marker, to show it’s dominance over the leaders of his species. Gundham grabbed a shell from the ocean floor, and placed it in the beak of the bird. “This offering from nature herself shall act as a contract between the two of us. You shall be the guardian of my oceans, a formidable beast who bows only to the Supreme Overlord of Ice! You shall feast at the table of gods once my reign of this earth finally comes! Bask in the glory of Gundham Tanaka!” Gundham began to laugh, uproarious as usual, ignoring the stares onlookers gifted him. Only when he met a soldier of his underworld did he allow himself to show his truest form, one not bound by the burden of social cues. Triton tilted his head, and flew back to the skies. Gundham watched his fiercest protector watch his ocean, surveying only until the time was right. He began walking back towards his mother, prepared to indulge in the fable.

~~~

Kaiya looked across the shoreline, hoping to find her. She saw Gundham swim out towards a seagull, but Ibuki swam the other way. She lost sight of the girl, however, as she ran through a crowd of people. As Gundham approached her, she put a hand on his shoulder, and kneeled down to him. “Gundham, sweetie, I need you to stay right here and guard our fortress. I need to find Ibuki.” Gundham went pale, more pale than usual. His worst fears were coming true. Ibuki was eager to go to the beach so she could run away from the two of them. He did something wrong, and it’s his fault his mother is going to lose her daughter. Gundham nodded frantically, petrified at the possibilities. Was she hurt? Or lost? Kidnapped? Returned to Valhalla? Hiding from them? Looking for the bathroom?

He sat and stared as his mother began marching off on the same trail as Ibuki, and decided he couldn’t simply sit back and watch. He whistled towards the sky, and raised his arm. Soon, to his surprise, Triton returned to him. He looked at the gull, and began to explain. “The unholy Siren that accompanied me in your discovery has been lost at the sands of time. Your first and greatest task shall be to retrieve her safely to me and the Fallen Angel.” Triton crowed at his orders, and flew back off to the skies. The Overlord has given him his task, and he shall fulfill his orders!

Kaiya watched as a Seagull flew overhead. At was the one Gundham talked to, due to the shell necklace hanging from the bird’s neck. She saw it look down at her, and then dive towards a large structure. Kaiya squinted (she had forgotten to put her contacts in today), and made out the shape of a fishing boat that was heading out to sea. She felt a sinking feeling in her chest, and began to pick up the pace. She reached the dock, and saw the ship was too far for her to call out to. She looked around, desperate to find something to get her to the boat. She saw the boathouse, and deemed it her best option.

Kaiya knocked on the door, before throwing it open. She looked at the man behind the counter, and scanned for a name tag. If she wanted to use the radios, she needed to be professional. “Hello, Mr. Amami. I have a few odd requests of you.” She straightened her posture, trying to hide her desperate gasps for air. Professional, Kaiya. Stay professional. The man (actually, he looked to be around Kaito’s age) lay back in his seat, putting his feet up on his desk. Maybe not so professional now, Kaiya.

“Yeah, alright. Not everyday someone comes running into my boathouse. What can I do for ya?” He asked, acting as if this sickly looking woman hadn’t practically knocked his door off it’s hinges moments beforehand. Kaiya heaved, and began to speak “Was there a fishing boat that recently departed from this dock?” Rantaro nodded slowly, and pulled up a ship log. “Oh, hey, one just departed about 8 minutes ago. What about it?” He put his hands behind his head, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Did you happen to see a child, a girl, about 6 years old, board the boat?” The man slowly opened an eye, before cautiously asking “Is she your daughter?”. As soon as Kaiya nodded, Rantaro shot up in his seat at grabbed his radio. He found the boat’s signal, waited for a response, and immediately began screaming at them for letting a child board their ship, and to find her immediately. One of the few statements Kaiya could catch were along the lines of “So help me god if that girl is hurt in the slightest, I’ll have your fishing and boating licenses, and then I’ll have your asses served to me on a silver plater”.

Mr. Amami was a very strange person.

~~~

Triton flew back to his master, and perched on his outstretched arm. He began to inform him of the current situation, and what became of the siren. Gundham have a sigh of relief when he was told she was in perfect condition, albeit a little shaken up at the giant men trying to pick her up. Gundham considered running to them, only to remember his orders of protecting their domain. However, Triton was to be rewarded for this endeavor, and Gundham knew just the thing. He walked over to the picnic basket, grabbed a sleeve of saltine crackers, and handed them to his underling. Triton crowed at the gift, grabbed them with his beak, and Gundham dismissed him. A fine surveyor, that’s for certain.

Gundham looked out toward the docks, being greeted with the sight of his mother and sister returning. Kaiya was holding onto Ibuki like she was a source of life (in a way, she was), and he could see Ibuki was playful as ever, fiddling with her mother’s necklace. However, a green haired man had followed the two, and Gundham felt weary. A suspicious man trailing his mother and sister was nothing to ignore, and he decided to focus his attention on this figure. Once the group made it back to the blanket Gundham had guarded, Kaiya sat Ibuki down, reached into her purse, and pulled out her wallet. Gundham scowled as she pulled money out for the man. He must have kidnapped Ibuki, and was holding her for ransom! He stood up, ready to confront the calm looking figure, but felt his resolve waver as the man declined the payment. Gundham looked the man up and down, before laying his eyes on a name tag and badge. He heard the avocado haired man say something about “helping out a family in need.” Gundham smiled, and sat back down next to Ibuki. Perhaps this mortal was fine enough.

Kaiya could stop thanking him. He rescued his daughter, all while refusing payment and calming her down. He had a soothing presence, one Kaiya wished could always be around her. “Mr. Amami, I-“ Rantaro held up a hand, and stopped her. “Rantaro is fine. The formalities are only for the guys who come to the docks.” Kaiya nodded, and continued. “Rantaro, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my daughter, and I don’t know what Gundham would do either.” At his name, Gundham looked back up at his mother, only to realize he wasn’t really being spoken to. Rantaro shrugged, and put his hands on his hips. “Oh, I’m sure your kiddo would’ve made quite the fuss after realizing where that boat was heading. Trust me. Those guys couldn’t have gotten far.” Ibuki chuckled, and turned to Gundham. She started poking at him, and started explaining what happened. She saw a big scary looking sailor dude, and she followed him to his boat, and snuck in to go explore the world. After a bit more banter from Rantaro, and a dozen more apologies and thank yous from Kaiya, the laid back man decided he needed to get back to his post, and “chew out a few fishermen.”

As soon as Rantaro was gone, Kaiya turned around, and pulled the two children into one of the biggest hugs they had ever received. Ibuki laughed, and tried to hug back even harder. Gundham, however, weakly returned the embrace, trying his best not to pass out from oxygen loss. His mother was having a moment, and he wasn’t going to interrupt. Once the hug ended, Ibuki rolled onto her side, and starred at the picnic basket. “Sooooo, Ibuki had a long day and is super duper mega hungry! What’ve we got?” Kaiya smiled, and began pulling out the confectionaries, taking note that a sleeve of crackers had gone missing. Oh well. Think big picture. Forget about the crackers.

She just needed her babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sorry that this chapter took longer to come out with, I kinda forgot about it for a few days.


	4. Field Day, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundham and Ibuki have field day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Announcement! I’ll be changing the pairings that are going to occur in fic! If some of you came here with the hopes of seeing the previously tagged pairings blossom, I apologize but that will no longer be happening. The new pairings for Gundham and Ibuki will be above it the tags. Thank you.

Gundham couldn’t help but groan when he got out of bed. It’s not like he was in pain, evil overlords never felt pain. He had simply remembered what today’s “event” was. Gundham shook Ibuki awake, assuring himself that he wasn’t suffering alone. Ibuki leapt out of her bed, fully aware of today’s events. She hastily prepared herself, forgetting to make her bed and putting her shirt on backwards. Gundham sighed, realizing that Ibuki was always exited for special days of school. He trudged downstairs, wishing he could simply turn around and end his day now.

Kaiya sat and listened to Ibuki’s rambling, making sure to catch every detail. Once she heard Gundham enter the kitchen, she turned and looked at him, smile on her face. This could be a nice opportunity for Gundham to at least speak with a few more of his classmates. “So Gundham, are you exited for today’s field day?” The look on her face was too much for Gundham to keep scowling at, and his expression softened. “Umm...” he saw his mother’s face drop a bit, and it broke his heart anew. “Yes. The Supreme Overlord of Ice will not be bested by a simple field in his empire, nor will his underlings!” Gundham’s usual dark lord energy began returning to him, preparing him for a day of physical and mental torment.

Usually, Gundham would go to the nurse’s office and sit out on field day, but due to his friend’s insistence (and the fact his class consisted of 16 people, and he didn’t want uneven teams), he made the choice to attend this year’s school side torture festival. Throughout the morning, Ibuki was prattling about every little detail, and even made a chart for every possible team she could have. It was impressive, as she even ranked them based on how well the groups of 4 could preform. He also appreciated that no personal bias was implemented, and every team outcome that had Mikan or Kazuichi on it was doomed to fail. If someone was on a team with Nekomaru, however, then they were at an inheritance advantage. Gundham only tuned in at specific moments where the window scenery was stale. As they were approaching the residential portion of their drive, Gundham turned his head and looked to Ibuki, giving her his full attention. She smiled at him, and his heart sank. He had told Ibuki last night that he had hoped Mikan was on his team. As Ibuki opened her mouth, Gundham preemptively pulled his scarf over his already burning cheeks. “Hey mom! Gundham want’s to be on Mikan’s team so they can win all the games and have victory smooches!” Ibuki puckered her lips, making out with the imaginary man of her dreams, as Gundham pretended that she wasn’t there. Kaiya sighed, and looked at Ibuki in the rear view mirror. “Seriously, Ibuki. You take a crack at Gundham’s crush every day. I would think you’d be joking after this long, but Gundham’s reaction proves your statements true every time. It’s like a comedy routine.”

Ibuki went quiet for a second, before she gasped. “Ibuki’s got it! Her and Gundham should make a comedy routine! We’ll have the crowd rolling on the floor! If Ibuki wasn’t in her seatbelt, she’d roll on the floor to give an example!” Gundham decided now was the time to removed the scarf from his face, and scowl at Ibuki. He was getting good at this. Kaiya laughed, and looked back at the two. “All right Ibuki. You keep getting on Gundham’s case for having a crush on Mikan, but what about you? Do you have a crush on anyone?” Ibuki recoiled, like she had been slapped by words. How could mom do this! She’s been betrayed! “Umm, Ibuki pleads the fifth.” She muttered, putting a hand behind her head. She just had to think. She couldn’t lie, but she couldn’t not lie! She couldn’t say she didn’t like anyone, then she’d end up as a sad lonely grandma at her grandkids sixth birthday party! But she couldn’t say the truth, she’d be in almost the same boat as Gundham!

As Ibuki was having a crisis, Gundham had a devilish grin on his face. This was it. Years of teasing for liking the meek one, all for this one sweet moment of revenge. He cleared his throat, glanced at Ibuki, and continued. “I believe I know who placed a spell of love on the Siren’s heart.” Ibuki’s eyes went wide, silently pleading for him not to say it. Mom couldn’t know! What if she thought it was weird, or wrong! “The confident princess of darkness is the one who placed this mighty curse, and my dear Ibuki has proverbially fallen head over heals for the girl!” Ibuki could almost hear her future shattering, and Gundham places the final for on her death certificate. Kaiya furrowed her brows. Princess of darkness? That sounded familiar. The only princess their age was...

Kaiya couldn’t help but coo. Ibuki liked Sonia. Of course! No wonder she made fun of Gundham for liking Mikan! She was taking the attention away from herself! Ibuki looked up at her mom, astounded. Wasn’t this where she was supposed to get mad and leave her in a ditch? Gundham smirked, seeing right through Ibuki’s confusion. “The answer you seek is a simple one to find, Siren. In the kingdom of beasts, affection between the same sex is a common occurrence, and humankind is no different. Your attraction to the princess is nothing to be fearful of, only the curse this feeble society placed on the idea of two mortals of the same sexual partnering with one another.” Ibuki just sat there taking it all in, as Kaiya furrowed her brow once more. How did this eight year old break things down for her better than she could have ever dreamed? Ibuki started giggling, before springing towards Gundham. “Okay then! Ibuki has a plan! You marry Mikan, I’ll marry Sonia, and we all live happily every after as one big family!” Kaiya smiled, happy to see her daughter’s usual vigor return.

~~~

As Nagito finally took his seat (the bus he took broke down, and he fell out of the window and had to walk to school), their teacher stood up. She handed slips of paper to each student, and told them not to swap. Once all 16 papers were handed out, she walked back to the front of the class and began to explain. “Alright kids. Each of you has received a slip of paper with a one, two, three, or four on it. I want each number to travel to their marked corner of the room. That will be your team for today.” Gundham gulped, as he looked down at his paper. The number four was never a lucky number, so of course a cursed soul such as he would receive one. He walked over to his corner, the first to arrive. He watched as his classmates ran around the room, and his shoulders dropped when he saw Sonia standing in the number one corner. Great. He looked at the portly figure approaching him, and he groaned internally. Teruteru, while nice enough, made way to many sexual jokes for an 8 year old. He stood next to Gundham, smiled, and pulled a comb from his pocket. “Good to see tall, pasty, and handsome’s working with me today.” Gundham simply looked ahead, seeing his second teammate arrive. Peko has spoken to him only a handful of times in the four years they knew one another, but she carried herself well. Before Teruteru could crack a joke, she smacked him in the back of his head. At least he would be kept in check. Gundham did a headcount for the other teams, spying that the other groups all had four people. No one was absent today, so where was his final teammate? He looked to the center of the room, greeted with the sight of Mikan nervously spinning in circles. She had forgotten which corner had which number, and she didn’t want anyone to yell at her for getting it wrong, so she began to do what she did best. Panic and cry.

Gundham walked towards the girl, kneeled down to her on the floor. He looked at her slip, seeing the number four. His mind flashed to Ibuki’s chart, but he pushed it from his mind. He quietly spoke with her, trying to keep as much attention off of them as possible. “Mikan, you haven’t a reason to fret. With I as your fearless Overlord and self appointed team leader, I shall guide you down the path of victory!” She stopped sobbing, and looked up at him, before pulling him into a hug. Although Gundham despised physical contact with people, he would make exceptions for his closest friends. He helped Mikan up to her feet, and walked her over to their corner. Peko have her a soft smile, while Teruteru gave his usual chuckle. “It must be my lucky day. Surrounded by two beautiful women and a hunk of a man, today couldn’t get much better.” Silence fell over the group, until Peko smacked Teruteru in the same place as before. It would be a long day.

Ibuki laughed as she watched her brother’s team get together. On her chart, Mikan and Teruteru were some of the lowest physical performers, and while Gundham ad Peko were high on the list, Gundham’s personality and Peko’s stoic nature made them lose some points. She looked over her own team. Nekomaru was a huge plus, keeping them on the track of victory, and Mahiru would also make sure the team wouldn’t get out of hand. Of course, each team has it’s weakest link, and Nagito was certainly that link. His awful luck out him at the bottom of her list, below both Mikan and Kazuichi, but she was Ibuki, and she was gonna make sure he at least survived the day! Going against her brother and friends sucked, but she wasn’t just gonna let them win! Her dignity’s on the line! Nekomaru let out a boisterous laugh, as he put his arms on the shoulders of his team. “Man, look at us! We’re gonna do great! Sure, you guys are pretty scrawny, but we can outshine anything that gets thrown at us!” Nagito chuckled at the statement, keeping the pep rally going. “Look at you guys, so filled with hope. I just hope little old me doesn’t slow us down.” Mahiru sighed, and grabbed the white haired boy by the shoulders. “Geez, quit laying yourself down like a doormat and help us win this! We might have to rely on you, you know!” Ibuki laughed at the situation, and stepped in front of the trio. “Okay guys! Ibuki needs ya all to do out best and beat the other teams into the ground! But don’t be too hard on team four!” The other three nodded, following her thought process. “Mikan does look pretty fragile. I’ll be gentle.” Marhiru said, reassuring Ibuki. “Even though Gundham’s pretty fit, this is the first field day I’ve ever seen him at. I’ll go easy on him.” Nekomaru gave Ibuki a thumbs up, making sure to speak soft enough no one would hear him. Nagito nodded, silently agreeing with the two beforehand. “Fuyuhiko’ll Kill us If we hurt Peko. What great strength. What hope...” Ibuki stepped away from Nagito, before continuing. “And even though we might not like Teruteru very much, we can’t just pick on him or he’ll get super sad! So go easy on all of them!” She raised a fist in the air, and the other three teammates raised on to join her. This would go great.

Gundham decided now would be a fine time to stake out the other teams, seeing as all the groups were in the same location. He spotted Ibuki’s group, and his heart sank. He knew he was doomed from the start, but Nekomaru and Mahiru? At least Nagito brought little but luck to the table. He spied Chiaki standing with Sonia, Byakuya, and the bland one (he had troubles remembering his name). Once he saw the final team, an even larger pit formed in his chest. Teruteru and Mikan followed his gaze, and both shared a worried look. Only Peko was relatively unfazed, but that was normal for the stoic girl. The final team consisted of the shark toothed fiend, Kazuichi, the dragon of rage, Fuyuhiko, the the gymnast of a thousand stomachs, Akane, and the destroyer of miniature lives, Hiyoko. Fuyuhiko, who seemed to have been stealing glances at their team from the start, fully turned toward them and stared them down, his gaze meeting with Peko’s. The rest of the team turned, each one meeting a rival’s gaze. Kazuichi sneered At Gundham, for reasons unknown to the Overlord. Akane spotted Teruteru, cracked her knuckles, and said something about “whipping him into shape”. Lastly, Hiyoko looked at Mikan, and began to laugh. The teams continued their stare down (and in the cases of Teruteru and Mikan, breakdowns), until their teacher announced they were to head outside. Today was going to be more painful then Gundham initially thought.

~~~

Once outside, Ibuki began looking around at all sorts of classes and students, recognizing very few. She could only recall the corn haired boy from when she went down to the principal’s office for accidentally making Teruteru break down in tears (she called him a fudge dumpling, but in a nice way!), and she knew the lavender girl from when she investigated the disappearance of Kazuichi’s beanie (It was Hiyoko. It was always Hiyoko), but that was about it. She bumped into Nekomaru, who told her this was the place. The four groups stood in parallel lines, all facing their teacher. She began pointing out various activities for the day, and instructed each group to travel to them together. As soon as she gave the go ahead, Ibuki tore off with Nekomaru and Akane. This was gonna be amazing!

Gundham’s head began to spin as his classmates ran ahead, while he simply walked to stay away from the pushy limbs and grabby hands. Only two of his compatriots stayed behind with him, both for entirely different reasons. Chiaki has fallen asleep where she stood, and only awoke when Mikan had tripped over a particularly clumpy section of grass. Before Mikan could begin sobbing, however, Gundham pulled her back up and steadied her balance. Chiaki looked at the two, and then two her currently fleeing team. She groggily walked in their direction, nodding towards the duo. Gundham looked at Mikan, before she blushed and began to stutter. “I-I-I’m s-sorry! I-I slowed us d-down, a-and now everyone hates me f-for ruining their fun, a-and-“ Gundham placed a hand on Mikan’s shoulder, effectively silencing her. She silently began walking towards the meeting point with Gundham, before she tripped again. This time, however, Gundham grasped the back of her shirt and pulled her up before she hit the ground. She looked at him, and before she could apologize, Gundham held his hand out. Mikan stared at it for a moment, before realizing what he wanted. She shakily grabbed his hand, and the two began their trek, blushing all the way.

Once Mikan and Gundham reached the other half of their team, Teruteru had a stupid grin on his face, and Peko had a soft smile. “Who knew that the eccentric childhood friends had a thing for each other? Not that I kind, of course.” Teruteru sipped a small bit of blood that was trickling down his nose, and Peko ignored him this time. “Let’s just make sure it doesn’t interfere with our performance” she said, turning to face the other teams. Gundham took a moment to catch on to what they were saying, but feared Mikan would breakdown if he pulled back. Mikan blinked, and her gaze followed her down her arm and to her hand. She squealed, and pulled away. She fiercely apologized to Gundham, and Peko, and Teruteru, and anyone in sight really, before Peko cleared her throat. “I believe the activity is beginning.”

Byakuya began reading the rules for their station from a set of flash cards the teacher had given him. The purpose of this game was to hit the opposing team with water balloons, until there was only one team standing. “So, it’s water dodgeball?” Akane asked, leaning towards the bucket of balloons. “Almost.” Byakuya placed the cards in a protective case, so that the water wouldn’t ruin them. “Everyone has three lives, so each person must be hit with three different balloons in order to be considered “out”. Other than that, however, it is a game of team dodgeball.” Byakuya pulled out a whistle, and looked at his team. They nodded, and he blew the whistle, starting the game. Chaos reigned supreme as soon as the game began, with larger students being targeted first, much to Byakuya’s dismay. Teruteru dove out of the way of a balloon, cowering behind Peko. Nekomaru grabbed half of his team’s bucket, and began hurling them at anyone in sight. Gundham spotted some extra buckets and tables that were layer out for defense, grabbed his teams bucket, and guided his group towards the structures. Ibuki saw his plan, and decided to copy it by pulling Nagito behind a tree with her.

As each team took shelter from the others, Gundham began checking the damages done to his team. “Those scoundrels! They hit me! Twice! They dirtied my apron, and NO ONE dirties my apron!” Teruteru yelled, furious his prized article was coated in mud. He looked to Mikan, only to see her curled into a ball, crying. “T-T-They h-h-hit m-me t-twice...I-I-I d-didn’t even t-throw anything y-yet...I-I-I-I’m s-sorry!” Peko sighed, and peered over one of the tables. “I’ve yet to be hit, but it seems as if Young Master’s team had thrown most of those shots.” Teruteru shot up, and looked at Peko. “How d’ya know wh’ trew dat b’loon!” She stared at him, confused by what he said. “Uh, each team has a different colored balloon. Their’s are red, and both you and Mikan have red bits of plastic on your clothing.” Both of the accused looked down, only to be proven right. “Then, my fair disciples, I suggest a ploy of revenge on the leagues of the Dragon of Rage!” Gundham reaches into his bucket, pulling out two balloons, and looking at his team. Teruteru leapt for the bucket, stored as many balloons as he could under his hat, and stood at the ready. Peko grabbed her share, and Mikan simply sat up. “I-I can’t throw very well, b-but I can be lookout! I-I’ll warm you if I see anyone coming!” Mikan clicked her fingernails together, and Gundham smiled. “Then, my warriors of the dark, we shall commence our reign of pandemonium!”

Ibuki watched from her spot behind a bush, watching as Nekomaru threw balloons at anything that moved. Nagito was standing directly next to him, so any balloons aimed in their direction would suddenly go off course and avoid both of them. Mahiru sighed, and looked at Ibuki. “So, what are we gonna do? I’m not letting them have all the fun.” Ibuki giggled, and spotted Mikan peeking up from her spot behind a table. “Ibuki has a plan! All Mahiru needs to do is go out there and throw balloons at those three!” Ibuki pointed to the other three members of team four, who were sprinting towards the base of team three. Mahiru nodded, and took off after them. Everything was going perfectly to plan. Ibuki stopped out from behind her tree as soon as Mikan shouted that Mahiru was approaching. She reeled back her arm, and threw a balloon at the propped up table. Mikan squealed, and ducked behind her defenses. Ibuki slid into their base, grabbed Mikan by the shirt, and walked into the open.

Gundham paused his assault, and watched on as Ibuki used Mikan as a shield. Peko glances at the duo, before speaking out. “Byakuya, will any three balloons get you out?” The progeny reaches into his coat, and read through his notes. “There is no concrete answer to that question. In order to spice up the game, however, we will say that yes, your own team could get you out. Once that announcement was made, three splashes were heard from the base of team three, and a dejected Kazuichi walked out of the base. Ibuki smiled, and walked towards Gundham. “So Gundham, Ibuki will give you a choice. Your honor, or the game.” Mikan gave Gundham a pleading look, and fumbled out a request. “G-Gundham, I-it’s o-okay. Y-you can w-w-win.” At this, Gundham frowned. As a dark lord, he can’t surrender his noble underlings like pawns. He dropped his balloons, and spread his arms wide. Ibuki released her hold on Mikan, and pulled out her balloons. She bombarded Gundham, and after three hits, he walked over towards where Teruteru sat. Mikan sat and watched, unaware of the balloons flying towards her. Peko diachronic valiantly, but as soon as Fuyuhiko entered her field of view, she surrendered (much to the boy’s dismay.)

As Peko took her seat next to her disheveled (and very wet) team, she was met with a plethora of reactions. Teruteru was livid that she just gave up, Mikan was crying, saying it was her fault they all lost, and Gundham simply raised his hand. The two more noisy teammates put their displays on hold, and the Overlord chuckled. “Fret not, my disciples of the dark. This was but one challenge brought to us, and we shall not be so easily bested by these mortals.” His team nodded, and watched on as the chaos resumed. After having lost her human shield, Ibuki was soon bombarded by a rain of balloons from Fuyuhiko and Hiyoko, while Akane pelted Hajime and Sonia. Soon enough, things came down between Nekomaru and Nagito, and Akane and Fuyuhiko. The pairs of duos had entered another standoff, waiting for their cue. Kazuichi let our possibly the loudest sneeze the world had ever heard, and it was off.

Akane barreled towards Nekomaru, and Nagito took his place. The balloons the athlete threw towards her coach simply flew off course, and Nekomaru retaliated, Akane was out, and it was up to Fuyuhiko. “Make your move, cotton head”, he muttered, and Nagito reeled back his arm. However, Nagito’s bad luck finally kicked in, and the balloons he held all burst, getting him out. Nekomaru roared, and grabbed the bucket he carried. Fuyuhiko’s fave dropped, as he watched all of the bucket’s contents come soaring at him. With Fuyuhiko out, Nekomaru wasn’t the last knee standing, and team two were declared the winners. Ibuki laughed, pulling Mahiru and Nekomaru into a massive hug, with Nagito awkwardly holding onto the side. Gundham smiled to himself. Perhaps today wouldn’t be awful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of field day coming soon. Thank you all for the support.


	5. Field Day, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggles of field day continue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry if chapter updates on this work are coming out a bit slower. I’m working on two other oneshots at the same time that I’m working on this fic, so production on all of them is slowing down. That does not mean I’ll be putting this on the Backburner, however. Siblings of Eccentricity is still my top priority.

Ibuki skipped past the other teams, the uproarious cheers of Nekomaru lifting her spirits even higher than before. Ibuki was such a good team leader! Now all she had to do was help her team win all the other challenges too! Ibuki glances back at her partners in crime, seeing Nekomaru carrying Nagito on his shoulders, while Mahiru smiled alongside them. With her grin spreading from ear to ear, Ibuki looked over at the other teams. Team one seemed pretty calm, with Sonia speaking to Byakuya about how fun the games were this year, and Hajime dragging a napping Chiaki behind him. Team Three seemed relatively angry. Kazuichi was miffed that Sonia wasn’t paying any attention to his “exceptional” performance, Fuyuhiko was scolding Peko for surrendering to him, while Hiyoko was berating Akane for “not pulling her weight”, and Akane just looked to the distance at the lunch table.

Ibuki laughed, and looked over to team four. Peko was still being scolded by Fuyuhiko, Teruteru kept stealing glances at Akane (white shirt to a water balloon fight wasn’t her greatest idea), and Mikan kept slipping in her freshly drenched shoes. Ibuki watched Gundham sigh, blush, and take back her hand. Ibuki’s smile grew as wide as it could, and she rushed back to Mahiru. “Mahiru! Ibuki has a huge favor to ask! Take a picture of Gundham and his crush holding hands!” Ibuki pointed over to the two, both so caught up in their embarrassment that they couldn’t see the flailing limbs of their friend/sister. Mahiru looked at her, before shrugging and pulling out a disposable camera. She clicked the photo, and handed the camera to Ibuki.

The photo was all she hoped for. Mahiru snapped the picture when the two had stolen a look at each other, both blushing hard enough that she could feel the heat radiating from the photo. Ibuki cackled, and handed the camera back to Mahiru. Perfect blackmail for when Ibuki wanted Gundham to do her homework! Ibuki slipped up to the front of the class, singing to herself all the way.

Once the class arrived at the next activity, Byakuya pulled his cards back out, cleared his throat, and blew his whistle. Everyone snapped to attention (even Chiaki), and Byakuya began his next explanation. “In this activity, you and one other team must partner up for a game of tug of war. The rules are simple: each member of you team will pull on the rope until the flag in the middle crosses their line. Any questions?” This time, Hiyoko raised her hand. “How is this game even fair? If muscle brain and piggy fingers are on the same team, then there’s no way I can win!” Byakuya smirked, having already prepared himself for such a question. “Simple. You will pick your starting partner, but it will be majority rule with decision. Now, pick which team you will partner up with!”

At that, all four teams began huddling up with each other. Gundham leaned in to his group, and began outlining his plan. “Although the beast of man is the strongest of us here, I do not suggest we select his group.” Mikan nodded, willing to agree with anything, and Teruteru shook his head. “Of course we shouldn’t! Everyone’s gonna want him, so we should either stop team two from winning, or we stop team three from winning.” Peko was quick to answer, a plan of her own forming. “Young master said not to “go easy” on him, so by teaming up with him, I no longer run the risk of harming or disappointing him.” Mikan meekly nodded, before putting her piece in. “A-a-and Akane’s r-really strong t-too...” Teruteru looked over his shoulder at the aforementioned girl, and grinned. “Oh yes. Team three. Defiantly.” Gundham smiled, and recoiled from his team. “Great leader of mortals, our decision has been cast!” Byakuya leaned towards him, full attention placed on the usually reserved boy. “We select the quartet of the third circle!” He pointed to team three, and Hiyoko physically recoiled. “Ew! You want me to work with you freaks? No way!” Fuyuhiko glared at her, before looking at Byakuya. “Ignore the runt! I’ll take it!” Akane slowly pieced things together, muttering to herself. “If I’m with those guys, then the old man and the big guy...OH YEAH! I’M IN!” Akane pumped her fists, and looked at Nekomaru. “You’re going down, old man!” He laughed, vigor reinstalled. “Give me your best shot! Don’t hold back!” Kazuichi’s smile dropped, as he pieces together his own puzzle. “Uh, I’ll still be on Miss Sonia’s team eventually, right?” Byakuya nodded, and Kazuichi shrugged. “Welp, guess I’ll hold out till then.” Sonia beamed, and looked out at her class. “Amazing! Then we shall ally ourselves with team two!”

The groups got into position, and Byakuya allowed three minutes for strategizing. Akane jumped forward, and looked at her team. “I’m in the front! Any objections? No? Great!” Teruteru grinned, and looked at the other six members in his group. “I don’t mind being behind Akane. She can be quite...dangerously distracting.” Everyone took a small step away from him, thinking it better that Akane suffer with him unknowingly then anyone else here know what he thinks. Hiyoko shot her hand up, and pointed at Mikan. “I don’t wanna see pug barf, so she should be alone in the back where she belongs!” With that, Mikan began sniffling, verging a breakdown. “I-I-I’m s-sorry for b-being p-p-pig barf! I-I’ll stay in t-t-the b-b-b-back!” Gundham frowned, and glared at Hiyoko. “Well then, sinner, I suggest you stand behind the perverse one, as to stay far away from the meek one.” Hiyoko’s grin dropped, and she returned the glare. “Gross! Do you want to see him get his hands all over me, you perv!” Fuyuhiko cleared his throat, getting the attention of his team. “First off, Mikan is going in the back, but she’ll be in front of Gundham. He’s stronger, so he’ll do more work at the back. I’ll go behind Teruteru, and Hiyoko will be between Peko and I. Kazuichi, you’ll be i front of Mikan. Any questions?” His only response was an eye roll from Hiyoko, and a few sniffles from Mikan. “Good. Now let’s go.”

At the other side, Byakuya and Nekomaru were directing the positions of their team. “All right. We’ll put Nekomaru at the front, and me at the back. Our two strongest members at opposite ends will provide the greatest balance of strength.” Nekomaru nodded, and continued. “Behind me will be Ibuki and Mahiru. With their spirit and attitudes, they’ll provide a great strength.” Byakuya pointed at Chiaki and Hajime. “The two of you will stay at the middle as a failsafe. If Chiaki fell asleep at a crucial position, she’d leave us vulnerable. Hajime, you have very average strength, so a midpoint position will be essential.” Nekomaru kept the instructions going, and looked at Sonia and Nagito. “Sonia, your vigor can provide extra supplies of energy and strength, so stand behind Chiaki to support us if she falls asleep. Nagito, you’ll be near the back so if your bad luck kicks in, it won’t affect as many people. Any questions?” The team responded with a resounding no, and took their positions.

As the teams stood in line, Byakuya pulled out his whistle. Nagito sighed, knowing what would happen to his hearing. The whistle was blown, and the game began. An immediate pull from Nekomaru caught Teruteru off guard, and he went sailing forward. Akane picked up his slack, and balanced out the pull. Peko and Gundham pulled with all they but the rope wouldn’t budge. Meanwhile, Byakuya had tied the rope around his waste, making sure it wouldn’t slip. He turned around, and began marching away from his opponents. Hiyoko slipped on the ground, and began sliding forward with Teruteru. Nagito smiled at the sight, such beautiful hope his team had. However, he lost his balance and slipped, spinning himself up in the rope, rendering himself useless. Chiaki, as per the usual, and fallen asleep where she stood, but Hajime tapped her shoulder. She opened her eyes, grabbed the rope, and fell back asleep. Following her team’s trend, Mikan slipped on the ground, before reaching out in a desperate attempt to stop herself. In the process, she latched onto Kazuichi, and pulled him down with her. Mahiru sighed, seeing unreliable Kazuichi and Teruteru were in this situation. Ibuki cackled, before shaking the rope up and down. Nekomaru caught on, and swung the rope with her. The power of the swinging motion carried past Akane, and all the way to Fuyuhiko. It threw the rope from his hands, and on his way to grab it back, he tripped over the mess of limbs that was Hiyoko and Teruteru. Peko gasped, and released her hold to help out her young master. As strong as Gundham and Akane were, they were nowhere near strong enough to match the strength of their opponents, much less over power it. With one good tug, Nekomaru ripped the rope past the line, and carried Gundham and Akane over to their side of the field.

With their victory ensured, Byakuya undid his binding and announced the obvious winners. With the entirety of teams three and four a mess of limbs on the ground, teams one and two had a landslide victory. Nagito gave a hopeful sigh, proud of his classmates for such a display. Mahiru began scolding the boys of the opposite team for their unreliability, while Ibuki was bouncing around like usual. Nekomaru picked Akane off the ground, and patted her on the shoulder. She grinned, and punched him in the arm. Sonia laughed with joy, and gave a hug to Byakuya, who simply smiled in return. Hajime turned to Chiaki, shook her awake, and was greeted only with a simple “Did we win?” from the girl. Teams three and four, however, weren’t in such a good mood. At the sight of Sonia hugging Byakuya, Kazuichi let out an audible sob. Mahiru was busy berating Teruteru for his performance, while he simply grinned and took it. Gundham was trying his best to calm down a sobbing Mikan, while Hiyoko only succeeded in making things worse for her. Fuyuhiko looked up a Peko, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. Akane was the only person in a good mood, however, as she and Nekomaru had gotten onto the ground and started arm wrestling. Ibuki laughed at the sight and began skipping towards the next event.

~~~

After the tug of war fiasco, Gundham hoped he would have a game less teamwork centric (or a game with less Hiyoko). As they reached a more open portion of the field, Byakuya pulled out his cards, and began explaining. “The next game will be a three legged race. You will select someone from your team to have your legs tied together, and the objective is to be the first duo to make it down to the flag and back. Questions?” For once, no one had anything to add, and Byakuya pulled out eight differently colored scarves. “Select our teammate, and wrap on if these around our legs.”

Gundham’s gaze settled on Mikan, but when she blushed simply by looking at him, he decided that it wouldn’t be the most effective duo. Plus, sticking Peko with Teruteru, while it would halt his antics, isn’t something the silver haired girl needed to deal with today. “I select the dark minded culinary artist!” Teruteru spun around to face him, and smiled devilishly. “Ooh, you sound quite eager to be stuck to me. Is it because you want some of me? Or you want to see two beautiful ladies tied together?” Silence stretches between them, and Gundham shook his head. It’s for the best.

Ibuki looked at her team, before deciding that Mahiru would probably just yell at the either of the boys if she teamed up with them. “Ibuki wants Mahiru!” The red head smiled at her, and before grabbing a scarf. “Good. I’d much rather be with you than those boys.” The two tied their legs together, and took their positions. Ibuki looked down the line, taking note of her competition. Sonia and Byakuya, Hajime and Chiaki, herself and Mahiru, Nekomaru and Nagito, Kazuichi and Akane, Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko, Mikan and Peko, and finally, Gundham and Teruteru? Ibuki began to think: why would Gundham not choose Mikan? It must be because he’s onto Ibuki, and he’s trying to hide their newly budding relationship! Of course!

Byakuya pulled up his whistle, and Sonia’s covered her ears. The sound marked the start of the race, and things fell apart. Nagito Tripp’s over his shoelace and the start, taking Nekomaru down with him. Chiaki has fallen asleep, and Hajime was dragging her with him. Hiyoko insulted Fuyuhiko for no apparent reason, and the two stopped running in favor of throwing insults at one another. Peko turned to break it up, but she tripped Mikan in the process, causing them both to fall. Akane took off, dragging Kazuichi behind her. With only half o the teams still in the running, Ibuki needed to think fast if she’s wanted to win! She tapped Mahiru on the shoulder, and pointed at Sonia and Byakuya. Mahiru raised and eyebrow, but turned towards the duo anyways. As Ibuki closed in, she snagged the whistle from the massive man’s pocket, and inhaled as sharply as she could. Mahiru plugged her ears, and Ibuki blew into the whistle as hard as possible. Akane stopped, thinking something was wrong, and Kazuichi came crashing into her legs, taking her down. Teruteru turned his head, but kept running with Gundham at the sight of Ibuki. Byakuya stopped, and snagged his whistle back from the girl. Before the lecture could begin, Ibuki took off with Mahiru in two. Akane got back up, and began dragging Kazuichi back on track.

The game was close, but due to Ibuki’s endeavor, three teams had lost major speed and momentum, and the winners were Gundham and Teruteru. As they crossed the finish line, Teruteru jumped out of the scarf, and began hopping around in joy. Mikan quietly cheered for the two of them, and Peko gave a soft smile. Gundham returned the expression, with a slightly more crooked grin. Winning felt nice, he noted, as his team continued their celebrations. Ibuki thought of it as a minor overreaction at the win, but she’ll let her brother have his moment.

~~~

As the list of events dwindled, and the day’s end creeping nearer and nearer, Byakuya announced that it was time for lunch. Akane was the first to bolt for the table, with Byakuya himself in close pursuit. Nekomaru chased after the two of them, and everyone else filed in at a semi-normal pace. Ibuki ran up to Gundham, and pulled him in for a “super mega awesome Ibuki style super hug”. She only stopped when Sonia voiced concerns of Gundham not breathing, and she released her hold of him. “Gundham did great out there! His team won like, two whole games! Sure, Ibuki’s team won seven, but that isn’t important!”. Gundham panted for a moment, catching his breath, until he looked at Ibuki. “Though a mighty curse may have been payed upon our dark league, I must commend us for our efforts.” Mikan smiled at the news, and Sonia perked up as well. “Yes! I’m quite certain that if Teruteru and Peko we’re still here, they’d be flattered by your words!” Ibuki cackled, and points at the lunch table. “Now, let’s go get some grub!”

The four peacefully walked towards the table, without a single slip or misstep. The picked out what best suited them, and made their way to the base of a particularly large tree. “Oh, today has simply been hella awesome!” Sonia said, pumping her fists into the air. Ibuki nodded, and raised her hand. “Ooh! Ibuki knows! Today was totally awesome! Ibuki played games, she ate food, she got an embarrassing photo of her brother and his crush-“ Gundham’s eyes widened at the statement, and he cautiously pointed a finger towards his sister. “Ibuki. Where, perhaps, is this image?” Gundham felt his heart pounding in his chest, and his cheeks warmed significantly. “Oh! Ibuki has Mahiru take the photo! She’ll go get the camera!”. With that, Ibuki took off towards where Mahiru and Hiyoko were sitting, with Gundham in close pursuit. Mikan sighed nervously, and watched the two run off. “I-I-I wonder who’s in t-the photo...” She stuttered, and Sonia shrugged, before speaking up. “I nearly forgot! Mikan, I got a most adorable picture of you and Gundham today! Would you like to see?” Mikan blushed, and nodded slowly.

Meanwhile, Ibuki has reached Mahiru’s location, and Gundham slowed to a halt. He must act swiftly and carefully, assuring he obtained the photo without suffering the wrath of either Hiyoko or Mahiru. He watched as Ibuki whispered into the red haired girl’s ear, and he saw the two exchange the camera. Gundham leaned in towards Hiyoko, and grabbed her shoulder to make sure she wouldn’t lean away from him. “Gross! Why are you touching me! You creep, I-“ Gundham extended his hand, and dropped three packages of gummies in front of the girl. She stared at them, and he knew he had her. “Listen well. Cause a distraction for Mahiru, and I will do away with the camera. Do so, and the prize is yours.”

Hiyoko kept her gaze on the snacks, before whispering back a simple “Deal.” She tapped Mahiru’s shoulder, and began the distraction. “Big sis, my hair got all frizzled and messy from those dumb games. Can you help me fix it?” Mahiru smiled sweetly, and sat down over by Hiyoko. Ibuki has taken off towards the tree, and it was time for Gundham to employ some assistance. He gave a sharp whistle I. The direction of the tree, and a squirrel poked her head out from the branches. His loyal Demeter, protected of riches and underworld accountant, would be his savior. He pointed to Ibuki, and made a box with his hands. Demeter, ever knowledgeable, lowly from her perch and in front of Ibuki. She halted, dropped the camera, and began petting the squirrel. Truly, Ibuki’s greatest weakness was small, furry rodents.

Gundham crept up behind her, snatched the camera from off the ground, and rushed back over to Mahiru. The deposited the camera next to a hairbrush he found on the ground, and nodded at Hiyoko. She grinned, and popped another gummy into her mouth. When Demeter left her position, Gundham had returned by Ibuki’s side, and she looked down to the ground. “Whaaaaaa?! The camera went missing? Impossible!” Ibuki looked around frantically, and Gundham simply strolled past her, taking his seat beside Mikan. She looked at him, blushed, and continued eating her lunch. Mission success, great Overlord. Mission success.

~~~

By the time school had ended, Gundham was rightfully exhausted. With so much physical work done today, his limbs felt heavy and his brain felt fried. Ibuki, however, was still as hyper as ever, pointing at and touching almost everything in sight. The duo walked outside of the school, being greeted by their mother at the entrance. She smiled, took them by their hands, and began walking to her car. For every question she asked, Ibuki would answer: the teams, how many times they won, how lunch went (Gundham went especially silent at that question), and he remained silent until she asked a question Ibuki couldn’t answer. “So, Gundham, What was your favorite part of the day?” He blushed, the memory of guiding Mikan through the field flashing through his mind, and he stumbled trying to answer. “Uh, the um, three legged race! Yes.” Ibuki grinned at the answer, and looked at Gundham. “Reeaaaally? Cuz, Ibuki thinks that this will prove you wrong!” She held up the disposable camera, and Gundham recoiled. Impossible! Demeter confirmed that she did not have possession of the camera! Unless, of course, Mahiru gave it back to her after lunch. Oh no. “Really now? What’s on the camera Ibuki?” She grinned, excited to tell. Gundham surrendered, resigning himself to a fate worse than enteral damnation. “Well, Ibuki has a photo of brother and his little cutie pie Mikan holding hands like a big ol’ lovey dovey power couple! They’re blushing and everything!”

Gundham pulled his scarf up to the top of his head, too embarrassed to even think about revealing himself to his mother. Perhaps he could live in his scarf forever, and never face his family again. Kaiya parked the car, and reached back. “Let me see the camera Ibuki.” Ibuki beamed, and handed the camera to her mother. Kaiya looked at the photo, and cooed. How could she not? Sure, her son retreated to his scarf again, but he always did that. This was special! Gundham was opening up to people, he was *touching* people! Her little baby was growing up!

Kaiya was mentally cheering for her son as she climbed out of the car, opened his door, and scooped him out of his seat. He peeked out from under his scarf, only to duck back in when he saw the goofy smile on his mother’s face. Scarf world it is, then. Just him and his legions of darkness, alone in a world of deep purple.

Maybe Mikan could join.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m liking this fic a lot. Hoping others are thinking the same thing.


	6. The Most Wild Night of Our Lives (so far)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Ibuki’s birthday, so she’s hosts the most wild party a group of ten year olds have ever seen!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge Apology for how long this chapter took to upload! I hope chapter 7 won’t take as long to come out as this one.

Ibuki rose from her bed, mindlessly moving through her usual morning routine. The past few days had been so boring she didn’t even want to wake up any more. All she had done was go to school, come home, do homework, and play. Nothing new, nothing exciting, all just basic ten year old stuff. Maybe if it was her birthday, she could...wait.

Ibuki quietly crept through the house, staying as quiet as possible as to not disturb her sleeping family. She found the calendar hanging in the kitchen, read the date, and did what any reasonable person could do:scream. Her screech of joy threw Gundham from his slumber, sending him flying out of his bed and towards the noise. He saw his mother running towards the kitchen, and her followed after her. There, they were met with a very excited Ibuki, and both sighed. “I guess she figured it out.” Kaiya said, walking towards her daughter.

She leaned down and pulled the girl into a hug, giving her a quiet happy birthday, relieved to see that it was a happy scream, and not one of fear, pain, anger, or sadness. Gundham gave her a soft smile, before walking over towards the phone. He punched in a number, and waited for a response. “Greetings, She-Cat of Darkness! The Siren has discovered how the sands of time have passed, and it is time for our congregation to commence! Assist me in rallying our troops, and I shall assist you with your...token. Fare thee well, fine princess of light!” He hung up the phone, and turned to his sister. “Prepare yourself, my finest of kin, for a great celebration of years past is to commence once the clock chimes once!”

Ibuki took a moment to process what her brother had said, before shooting out of her mother’s arms. “Ibuki’s having a party? IBUKI’S HAVING A PARTY! THANK YOU!” She was screaming as she ran off to her room, presumably to get herself ready for the big day. Gundham looked at his mother, and she gave a light chuckle. “I suppose our surprise worked. You’re positive Mr. Hanamura will help me with the confectionaries?” Gundham gave a chuckle of his own, a grin on his face. “He insisted he take charge.” He turned back to the phone, punching in another number. Kaiya walked to her daughter’s room, and lightly knocked on her door. An overly joyous “come in!” exited the room, and Kaiya entered the room.

“Ibuki? I believe we must go over what today entails.” Ibuki was excitedly nodding, comparing two almost identical shirts to each other in the mirror. “First of all, I hope you’re okay with the length of the party. Gundham told me you would enjoy a party that went all night, so we’ve planned a sleepover to accompany the party. The guests should leave by one o’clock tomorrow. Is that alright?” Ibuki had slipped on one of the shirts, and spun around to her mother. “Of course that’s okay! It’s more than okie dokie levels of okay!” Kaiya have her a soft smile, and continued her explanation. “Next off. I allowed for Gundham to bring some of his friends along to the party as well. I know you aren’t the biggest fan of Mr. Hanamura, but you like Souda and Nekomaru, right?” Ibuki gave her a thumbs up, and started rustling through her closet, pulling out a sleeping bag.

“Finally, you won’t be receiving your gifts until after dinner, and most guests might not bring something. Your brother and I didn’t want to make it mandatory, so we didn’t write it down on the invites. I know you might be disappointed, but-“ Kaiya was cut off as her daughter pulled her into a hug. “It’s fine, mom. Spending a whole 24 hours with Ibuki’s friends is a great gift on it’s  
own! Now, does Ibuki go skirt or pants today?” Kaiya looked at the options, and pointed to the skirt. “It makes you look both formal and friendly at the same time.” Ibuki’s grin widened, and she rushed off to change. Today was gonna be amazing!

~~~

By the time one p.m had rolled around, Gundham had already let three people into the house. Sonia, who arrived first with a gift heavy enough her father had to carry it in, Teruteru, who arrived thirty minutes early, box in hand and asking if he could prepare welcome snacks for those who arrived (Ibuki gladly taste tested for him), and Mikan, who was five minutes early, crying about being too late to be early, but too early to be on time. She simply held a small envelope in her hand, and Gundham lead her into the house, calming her down all the way.

The second the clock struck one, Kaiya heard a knock on the door. She opened it up, seeing three kids standing on the other side. The silver haired girl looked up to her and nodded. Ibuki heard the door, and came tearing up to the group. She looked past her mother, and waved. “Hi guys! Come on in! Gundham’s in the living room if your wondering, but Ibuki’s still super glad to see you guys!” Nekomaru laughed, picked up his present, and walked up to Ibuki. “Great to see you, Ibuki! Don’t worry! Just because Gundham invited me doesn’t mean I didn’t get you anything! You’re gonna love it!” Nekomaru roared, walking towards the gift pile. Fuyuhiko walked in, looked to Ibuki, and gave a quick “Happy Birthday.” Peko gave another nod, and carried two small gifts in with her. As Kaiya went to close the door, she saw another child standing outside, completely still. Ibuki reached out, tapped the girl’s shoulder, and she stood back up. “Oh. Hey. Happy Birthday Ibuki.” The lax girl walked in, following the three before her, and Ibuki’s only reaction was “classic Chiaki.”

From there, the arrivals were all carrying versions of late. Some, like Souda and Mahiru, were running behind by only a few minutes. Akane was ten minutes late, saying something about “extra lunch.” By the time two o’clock rolled around, the final knock was heard. Gundham silently walked to the door, and opened it. On the other side was a very, very angry Hiyoko, a small box in her hand. She looked up at Gundham, blushed, and mumbled to herself. “I took the wrong bus.” Gundham nodded, and waved her in. Once she placed her box on the mountain of presents, Gundham cleared his throat. “Attention, dear compatriots. Our leagues have conjoined, and the true celebration can now commence!” Most of the room simply stared at the boy, before he pulled his scarf over his face. “Everyone is here. The real party can begin.” At his restatement, the group cheered, excited for the potential of the party.

Souda cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “So, your good pal Souda has a brilliant idea when he was preparing for today.” He stepped over to his overnight bag, reached in, and revealed three games. “In conjunction with Chiaki, who is currently asleep and unaware of my big reveal, we decided to bring a few video games to liven things up!” Chiaki shook herself awake, and walked over to her bag. She pulled out a console, and started hooking it up to the tv with Kazuichi. Chiaki grabbed a controller, and Kazuichi handed one to Ibuki. “Birthday girl gets a permanent spot at the table.” Ibuki laughed, and grabbed a box. She popped it open, and inserted the game. Chiaki started up the game, and the title read “Combatants of Valhalla”. Akane and Nekomaru grabbed the remaining controllers, and the games commenced.

Ibuki looked over the select screen, before moving her cursor down to a man with a Mohawk. Nekomaru selected a giant robot, and Akane picked a “Tarzan looking chick”. Chiaki simply selected random, and their battle commenced. Nekomaru and Akane immediately entered a battle of epic proportions, the likes of which the world has ever seen. Hiyoko watched the two run around in circles, completely oblivious to the fact they were playing the game wrong, and scoffed. “Can you losers do anything right?” Mahiru shushed her, and the game continued. Ibuki, finally grasping the controls, turned around and ran towards the “dueling” duo, halting their accidentally game of ring around the By this point, each contest had earned their supporters, the uproarious cheers of 13 ten year olds filling the house. By the end of the game, Akane and Nekomaru has wiped each other out, and it was between Ibuki and Chiaki. Ibuki made one move towards Chiaki, and the game was over. Chiaki’s rabbit let out a rainbow staff laser, eliminating Ibuki, and winning her the game. Multiple cheers and groans filled the room, but the excitement began anew when the next round of contestants was selected. Gundham watched from his spot across the room. Today would be a good day.

~~~

When the games were played and the excitement had dwindled, Ibuki decided it was high time for her to take charge. She stood up, and raised her head high. “All right guys! Ibuki has a plan! How about we all play a game!” The room of children turned towards the birthday girl, and she began to pace in a circle around them. “We should play hide n seeksies!” Gundham and Mikan groaned, while Sonia began giggling. “The rules are super-super simple! We pick a tagging person, by instead of tagging, they’re seeking. If you get found, you’re totally out! Who’s in?” 

The group of kids looked around at one another, each one thinking something different. Nekomaru stood up, grinned, and patted Ibuki on the shoulder. “Alright, Captain. Who’s the seeker?” Ibuki hummed, before pointing a finger into the crowd. “Gundham always makes such a good tagger when we play! So Ibuki picks him!” Gundham felt dozens of pairs of eyes bore into him, but he shook the feeling and laughed. “So be it. If you so desire the Supreme Overlord of Ice to be your so called hunter, then I am not one to stand in your path!” He planted his feet on the floor, closed his eyes. Ibuki and Sonia began to run, and Mikan slipped behind the couch. The remaining children scrambled for a place to hide. 

By the time Gundham opened his eyes, he could see Mikan’s legs sticking out from behind the couch. He chuckled to himself, and began walking past the couch. “Oh, blast it all. Where in the name of Pan could my disciples have disappeared to?” He heard a small squeak to his left, and turned to leave the room. “It’s quite apparent none of my great allies would be able to slip past the All Seeing Eye. I must look elsewhere for them.” He strolled out of the living room, hearing a sigh come from behind him. He walked into the hall, and looked for anything that may be out of place. He continued past the seemingly barren corridor, and into the kitchen.

Once he entered, he saw his mother standing by the stove with a smile. He knew at least one mortal resided in this realm, and his mother must have a clue. He walked up to her, and put a hand to his chin. “Angel of fates, have you perhaps spied a mortal enter this region of flames?” Kaiya laughed, and looked down at her son. “Nope. No children here, Gunny.” He blushed at the nickname, but his embarrassment was thrown to the wayside when an additional snicker passed through the room. He spun around, and looked to the small table in the room. Walking towards it, he saw movement underneath the structure. He knelt down to investigate, and tapped Teruteru on his shoulder. “My friend of fire, I must inform you of your captured status.”

The portly boy nodded, before looking up to his friend. “What do we do when we’re out?” Gundham looked over his shoulder, and spied his mom hesitantly watching the stove. “You normally sit out, but that’s how we played with four contestants.” Teruteru smiled, and walked over to Kaiya. He pulled over the stool he left for himself, and began instructing her ok what to do. Gundham gave a grin of his own. He have to thank his ally for being so generous on this day of celebration, but for now, he must return to Mikan.

He quietly crept back into the living room, before “accidentally” monologuing again. “If the caring heart warmer had not been in the kitchen, then I surely must have over looked something.” He saw the legs move forward, and he peered over the cushions. “Aha! To think someone had escaped my wrath not once, but nearly twice!” Mikan looked up at him, and he lightly ruffled her hair. “Worry not. You were not the first to fall victim to my senses.” She gave a quick smile, before standing up. “Y-Y-You’re still really good at this game, G-Gundham!” She said, before sitting down on the couch. “S-should I wait here?” He nodded, and handed her a remote. “If you feel so inclined, replay the memories of film you so enjoy.” Mikan nodded, and put on one of her personal favorite tv genres: cheesy sitcoms with really corny jokes.

Gundham left the living room, soft giggles following suit. What he wouldn’t give to sit with her for only a few moments. Alas, he had a game to play. He began marching towards his bedroom, throwing the door open once he reached it. A major lapse in judgement revealed at least one person was here: his curtains were drawn back, and sunlight was seeping into his unholy realm. He spied a stack of tomes splayed across his carpet, and he followed the trail to the foot of his bed. He peered underneath, and saw a sleeping Chiaki under his bed. He lightly shook her, and she crawled out from her spot. The gamer gave a quick glance to his closet, and Gundham followed her gaze. He marched towards the cabinet of cloth, and opened the door. He saw a lump of cloaks on the floor in an overturned order, and he pulled one from the top. Underneath was a cowering Souda, who looked up and groaned. “I’m already out? This sucks.”

He stood up from the pile of garbs, and looked at Gundham. “So, do I just go back to the living room now?” Gundham hummed, and gave a response. “So long as you do not request a change of channels, yes.” He cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged and walked out of the room. Now that he was alone, Gundham had to think. He had found four of his allies, but the rest alluded him. Perhaps Ibuki’s room is the next location he should visit.

Walking from his room to his sister’s, Gundham quietly opened the door, trying his best not to alert any potential hiders. He slipped into the room, and looked for anything out of place. The closet was a mess, but that was normal. He couldn’t find anyone in the room, and went to close the door. However, on closer inspection, the door didn’t seem fully opened. He pulled the door back, revealing Hiyoko. She groaned, and pointed at him. “No fair! I was totally hidden! I want a re-do!” Gundham chuckled, and looked down at the girl. “Your illusion was a clever one, as it almost slipped my mind. Well played, small one.” He patted her head, and the pigtailed girl stared at him, before sticking her tongue out and stomping away.

Gundham cackled to himself. If he could find the smallest of his friends, he could easily find the larger ones! Gundham raised his arms up, assuming a victorious position, before whacking his arm on the door. The barrier went swinging shut, and he stifled a whimper. Overlords don’t cry, Gundham. They brood. He heard a sigh, and we silently spun around. Emerging from Ibuki’s sleeping bag was a very annoyed looking Mahiru, scowling to herself. She had yet to notice the boy still watching her, as she stood up and muttered to herself. “Geez, was his “small one” bit really necessary? She’s not that small.” Gundham slid underneath Ibuki’s bed, remaining undetected. If he was found and couldn’t touch Mahiru, his quest would become much more difficult. He watched with caution, seeing the redhead turn towards the bed. Perfect.

“Oh well. At least I’m still fine.” She sat down on the bed, legs hanging over the side. “No way is he gonna check the same place twice. He’s too stubborn!” Gundham took his opportunity, and tapped Mahiru’s foot. She shot ip from the bed with a scream, causing Gundham to slip his arm back under the bed. Mahiru growled, and reached under the bed. She grabbed Gundham by the arm, and yanked him out from underneath. “What is wrong with you? You scared me half to death, Gundham!” She glared at him, and Gundham couldn’t help but feel meek. She reminded him of his mother’s scoldings. He reached for his scarf, and pulled it over his face. “Sorry...” he mumbled, looking away from her.

Mahiru sighed, and dropped his arm. “Look. It was a good plan, but what if you did that to Hiyoko? Or Mikan?” He blushed, guilt creeping through him. He looked at her, and then down to the floor. “I-It...was not my intention to strike fear into your heart.” She shook her head, but smiled. “I know. Just, be more straight forward next time, okay?” He nodded, and she turned for the door. “Good. Now, I’m assuming I go back to the living room?” Another nod from Gundham lead her out of the door. He stood still for a moment, before groaning. At least that was out of the way.

~~~

Ibuki snickered to herself, peeking out from her super special hiding spot. She could see where everyone was gathering, and the number of friends that had already gotten out was disheartening, but hey! Ibuki was still a-okay! She had everything she needed: a hiding spot and tv! Sure, Mikan has awful taste in shows, but it was fine! She watched on in silence, taking everything in.

Mikan was still on the couch, seated on one end of the couch, with Chiaki slumped up next to her. Souda sat on the other end, mindlessly observing the show. Hiyoko and Mahiru sat on the floor, and she would see Teruteru periodically walk into the room, requesting orders. Everyone was fairly quiet, except for Mikan’s outbursts of laughter at the increasingly awful jokes. Hiyoko would scoff, Mahiru would shush her, and the two would y’all between each other. Chiaki was asleep, and Souda only had the occasional chuckle or groan.

Just when things started to get boring again, Ibuki heard movement. Distant, but there. She knew by the near silent steps it had to Gundham. The steps crept through the house, drawing nearer and nearer to the living room. He stepped in, and every head in the room turned to him. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you start here?” Gundham laughed, before striking a pose. “Can you not see? The illusions of this realm are far greater than any other in this home! It’s magic can not be contained by one simple briefing! Observe!” He walked over to an armchair, before walking behind it and tapping something. Ibuki heard a groan, and watched Akane stand up. “Ah, man! Here I was thinking I could stick around long enough to swipe some food!” Gundham chuckled, before pointing towards the kitchen. “Fear not, friend, for the bearer of flames can easily provide you with his delicacies!” Akane grinned, and ran off to the kitchen.

Gundham faced the eliminated, and smirked. “Nothing can escape the wrath of the all seeing eye!” He began to laugh, earning a scoff from Hiyoko, and waking up Chiaki. “I no longer sense anything but those who have already fallen to my wrath, so my investigation concludes here.” He walked out of the room, waving to his friends. Souda and Mikan waved back, and Chiaki gave a soft hum, but that was his only send off. Harsh.

Ibuki hid behind her safety veil, watching friend after friend enter the room. Nekomaru has walked in, laughing the entire time, telling Akane about how Gundham had tripped, setting up a trap for him to catch Nekomaru. Fuyuhiko stomped in, Peko close behind, muttering something about a “stupid branch”. Ibuki took count, and had to stifle a laugh. It was between her and Sonia, and the princess always got super giddy after a while! She sat in silence, waiting for someone to show up. However, when neither Gundham not Sonia reappeared after what felt like hours of waiting, Ibuki began to fidget. What was taking them so long?

Just as Ibuki was about to burst from her hiding spot, she heard laughter coming from across the house. She heard footsteps, and a triumphant Gundham stood in front of his peers. Sonia was standing behind him, giggling to herself. “Hear my call, mortals, for the final contender has been found! My dear kin is the winner of our game! Reveal yourself, siren of doom!” He struck a pose, waiting for her to come out. “Hey, Gundham. What if she can’t hear you?” Fuyuhiko asked, looking around the room. Gundham chuckled, brushing off the comment. “Nonsense! The siren hears every proclamations I cast!”

After waiting another moment for added suspense, she threw open her cover and stepped forth. “Haha! You should see the looks on everyone’s faces! They look all shocked and everything!” Her sudden entrance caused Souda and Mikan to jump, and everyone turned to look at her. She struck a pose of her own, letting everyone revel in her glory. “So! What does Ibuki win?” The group went silent, and the twelve children looked between each other. Mahiru looked at her, and began to speak. “Uh, Ibuki, I dot think we-“

”I shall help prepare your victory feast at once!” Sonia said, turning towards the kitchen. “It is only fair that you should receive such a prize!” The girl continued, and pointed towards the kitchen. “Onward now, for we shall assist Mrs. Tanaka in the dinner preparations!” She marched towards the kitchen, followed closely by Teruteru and Akane. The remaining children shrugged and followed them, but Gundham stopped Ibuki before she could enter. “It is your reward that we make the preparations. Rest yourself, for your energy will be of much greater usage in the later hours.” He walked into the kitchen, and Ibuki smiled. Her friends were so thoughtful! She walked back to the couch, changed the channel (Mikan wouldn’t mind, right?), and settled in.

~~~

Ibuki looked out at the feast laid before her, as her friends sat down in their makeshift seats (seating thirteen ten year olds and a really sweet mom at one table is a little hard). Akane was drooling in her chair, with Teruteru only bolstering her gluttony with his incredibly detailed descriptions of each and every dish. Hiyoko kept sneaking her hand closer and closer to the cake, only for Mahiru to swat it away before she could reach if. Nekomaru detailed the healthiest choices for maximum nutritional value to Souda, who mindlessly nodded along and stared at everything the muscular kid said would be bad for his health.

Gundham was placed between Sonia and Mikan, the three of them engaging their usual antics as the pale boy described his encounter with a family of deer. Fuyuhiko was quietly whispering to Peko, the latter gazing longingly at the cat shaped sugar cookies in front of her. Chiaki was taking a quick power nap in her chair, and Kaiya stood back and watched the kids. Once every dish was in place, Kaiya clapped her hands, and thirteen heads spun around to face her. “Alright everyone. I don’t have anything too special to say, except that after everyone is finished, Ibuki can open her presents!” The group cheered at that, all eager to either eat or watch Ibuki open their gifts.

As soon as she was given the go ahead, Akane piled something of everything onto her plate, creating a massive stack of cuisine. Others took their time, and the meal was fairly normal. Each kid fell into their own clique, only reaching out to another group for requests of food and the occasional joke to tell. Ibuki looked out at everyone, before shrugging. Yeah, they weren’t all being the superest duperest best friends ever like she had planned, but it’s fine! Besides! If she started a game now, all those awesome presents would have to wait ‘til later, and then they’d be all sad!

The feast moved along without difficulties, exception only to Akane eating until a button of her shirt popped off, and Sonia had to help her not throw up. By the time everyone’s stomachs had settled, Ibuki was bouncing up and down in her seat. She looked at the stack of presents in the corner of the room, and shuddered with anticipation. There was like, a dozen presents over there, and Gundham and Mom hadn’t even shown their trump cards yet! She almost squealed when her mother clapped her hands, pulling the attention onto her. “Now then. As promised, Ibuki is more than welcome to open her presents now. However, each person here will have to present their gift to her. That way, it’s a bit more personal.” Each kid nodded, some more excited than others. “Now. Who would like to go first?”

Before anyone could register, Sonia had stood up from her seat and marched over to her massive box. She carefully moved the gifts on top of it off to the side, and waved Ibuki over. The black haired girl giggled and sprinted to her friend, and the two looked at one another for a moment. “I would not like wasting anytime! Happy Birthday Ibuki! Please, open your present!” Sonia pumped her fists, and Ibuki complied. She grabbed the wrapping paper and tore it off, each rip less graceful than the last. Once the paper was off, Ibuki couldn’t contain herself. She screamed, and pulled Sonia into a hug. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Ibuki loves it! When can Ibuki start?” The jumped from her hug, and stared at the box.

Sonia had given her a drum set. The whole thing. With sticks and a stool and music and everything! Sonia giggled to herself, and he grabbed Ibuki’s hand. “Now now, your excitement is flattering, but you still have many gifts to open!” Ibuki gasped, and looked at the remaining gifts. There was still so many of them, she couldn’t believe it! This was so awesome! Nekomaru laughed, and walked over to his bag. “Well, it ain’t as good as what Sonia pulled out, but I’m pretty confident you’re gonna love this. Happy Birthday Ibuki!” He handed her the bag, and Ibuki reached in. Rapid fire present mode, activate!

The gifts from there were all super duper awesome in their own rights: three rock cds from Nekomaru, a photo album of Ibuki’s best moments from Mahiru, and a massive box of truffles from Teruteru. Once the portly boy returned to his seat, Fuyuhiko shot up from his chair and grabbed a small box. He tossed it to Ibuki, and silently waited for her to open it. She peeled off the paper, and opened the small box. She saw a wide collection of jewelry, ranging from a sapphire necklace to simple chain bracelets. Fuyuhiko clicked his younger, and looked away from Ibuki’s shocked expression. “I thought girls liked jewelry, so I got you some. I just...didn’t know what to get, so I got all of this stuff.”

Kaiya felt her jaw go slack as she saw the jewels. How much did this even cost?! How did he get all of this?! He sat back down, and Peko wordlessly handed her gift to Ibuki. “Happy Birthday, Ibuki.” Snapped out of her trance, Ibuki opened the package, revealing pink and blue hair dye. “I recall you mentioning a wish for highlights. So, I provided them.” Peko returned to her seat, and Ibuki began to laugh. “This is sooooooo awesome! Ibuki’s getting al of this mega awesome stuff! She’s gonna be a whole new lady when school rolls around!”

The next gifts went by swimmingly. Akane gave her a pair of headphones, Souda gave her a new CD player, and Hiyoko had mumbled a small happy birthday before handing her a small box. Inside was a small video recorder, and Ibuki pulled Hiyoko into a massive hug when she saw it. Music videos, here we come! Hiyoko sat down, and Mikan slowly trembled towards Ibuki. She held out her hand, an envelope extended. “I-I-I’m sorry! I-It p-p-probably is a really awful g-gift. Y-you can h-hate it, i-i-it’s fine...H-Happy B-B-Birthday...” Ibuki beamed, snatched the envelope, and tore it open. She reached inside, pulling out a small card. From inside the card fell $30, and Mikan squealed. “O-oh no...it f-fell out. N-now it looks all sloppy, a-and gross, and-“

Mikan was cut off by a coo, as Ibuki looked at the card. It was handmade, a small drawing of her, Gundham, Mikan and Sonia being the main attraction. In the drawing, the four had been having their own mini party, and having the time of their lives. Ibuki picked up the money, placed it in the envelope, and pulled Mikan into a hug of her own. “Ibuki loves it! Doodle “Buki also loves it, promise!”

Mikan sighed, and meekly returned the hug. “I-I...Thank y-you!” The girl broke into tears, and Sonia guided her back to her seat. Chiaki woke up from the noise, before trudging towards the last present of the pile. She handed the box to Ibuki, gave a quiet “Happy Birthday”, and fumbled back to her chair. Ibuki tore off the wrapper, and nearly dropped the precious cargo. Chiaki got her a replica of the console from earlier, games and all. Chiaki looked at her, and mumbled to herself. “Don’t worry. That one’s new.”

Ibuki couldn’t believe it. Her friends had gotten her all of these cool things! This was totally awesome! She placed the console next to the rest of her presents, and went to go sit down. Before she could reach her seat, however, Gundham cleared his throat. Ibuki turned to her brother, seeing a crooked grin on his face. “I believe you have one remaining present. However, it is necessary that you follow me in order to see it. The rest of you are welcome to join our crusade.” Gundham began walking towards Ibuki’s room, and the twelve other children chased behind him.

The group reached Ibuki’s door, when Gundham held a finger up to his lips. He slowly opened the door, and Ibuki walked in. She looked around frantically, trying to spot what her final gift was, before seeing her mother standing in the corner of the room. She gave a smile of her own, and moved off to the side. Behind the woman was the largest bird cage Ibuki had ever seen, a blue and white parakeet resting inside.

Ibuki squealed, rushed over to her mother, and gave her an Nekomaru level bear hug. Kaiya returned the hug, and Gundham began laughing to himself. “It is only natural the vibrant Siren should have a companion as boisterous as herself!” He slowly approached the cage, waving Ibuki towards him. “Now then, we have a few matters to discuss. What shall the title of this avian beast be?”

Ibuki ran over to him, before leaning towards the bird. It stared back at her, tilting it’s head out of curiosity. She poked her finger into the cage, only for the bird to hop over to it and begin pecking at it. Ibuki laughed, and turned to Gundham. “Ibuki knows! Ibuki wants to call her Poco! Short for PocoLoco!”

Gundham smiled, before turning to Poco. “Very well then. The Blue Feathered Siren, PocoLoco, shall be a fine addition to our ranks!” He spun around to face the remaining eleven children, a grin plastered on his face. “If you so desire to visit this fine beast, you are more than welcome to.”

One by one, each child crowded around by the cage, enamored by the bird’s antics. As Poco bounced around his cage, hopping from person to person, Ibuki couldn’t help but smile. Tonight was so awesome! And it wasn’t even done yet! Tonight couldn’t get any better!

~~~

Gundham sighed as he reached for his toothbrush. The day had gone according to plan, but now was the time things were most likely to fall apart. Everyone had begun to settle down for the night, himself included, but that’s where the problems began. He was to sleep in his room alongside the four other boys, whereas Ibuki would sleep with the remaining guests.

His plans for the night were simple: get in bed, and sleep. The day had been draining, What with all the games and social interactions, but he had a sinking feeling his compatriots wouldn’t be so eager to rest. He began brushing his teeth, thoughts racing through his mind. Nekomaru would likely insist everyone got a reasonable amount of rest, but there was a chance he would fall victim to Souda’s antics. Speaking of Souda, he could do practically anything: foolish party games, childish pranks, or perverted actions in regards to the girls. Teruteru was a beast of his own, almost guaranteed to try and sneak into the girl’s room at least once that night. The only person Gundham could see having no part of these games (himself excluded), was Fuyuhiko.

He rinsed out his mouth, and walked out of the bathroom. He could try his best to sleep, but his friends would most likely have no part of it. He opened his bedroom door, prepared for anything, but was greeted with a fairly normal sight. Teruteru and Souda were leaning towards one another, whispering into the other’s ear. Nekomaru was doing stretches in the corner of the room, and Fuyuhiko was face down in his pillow, trying his best to ignore the others.

Souda spun around towards the door, but he regained his composure once he saw it was only Gundham. The action was suspicious, but nothing too incriminating. Teruteru gave a soft chuckle, standing up and clapping his hands. Four heads looked to the cook, each one with a varying level of interest. “Now that everyone is here, I can finally announce my idea!” Souda started to giggle, and Teruteru gave him a glance. They had been planning something after all.

“Now, even if a room of eight lovely ladies sounds like a blast to put myself into, I doubt I or anyone else for that matter, would last all too long inside. So, we’ll simply keep it small and between ourselves tonight.” Nekomaru cocked an eyebrow, and Souda looked baffled. “I’m a learning, growing boy, and I prefer to keep myself informed. How about a game, just the five of us?”

Souda pointed a finger at the shorter boy, a betrayer look on his face. “This wasn’t the plan! What about the camera?” Teruteru chuckled at the outburst, placing a hand on the shoulder of his partner in crime. “Relax, Souda. I’d love to have a few photos of the girls myself, but those luxuries should remain to the two of us, don’t you think?”

Souda sighed, before sitting back down on his sleeping bag. “Yeah, fine. What game could we play anyways?” Teruteru grinned, before looking at the other three boys. “The game is simple. We take turns telling one another if we’ve got eyes for someone. You don’t need to tell the truth, but if you get caught lying, you’ll have to do whatever we dare you to do. Sound good?”

Four minds began weighing their options, before Souda nodded. “I got this in the bag. I’m in!” Nekomaru laughed to himself, before I walking closer to the the two participants. “Yeah, I guess I can stay up a bit longer! Let’s do this!” Fuyuhiko groaned, before scowling at the three. “What the hell’s the point of this game anyways?”

Teruteru put a hand to his chin, before grinning at the blonde. “Easy. If we know who everyone here likes, we’ll know to stay away from them romantically! It’ll ease romantic tensions later down the line, I assure you.” Fuyuhiko scoffed, before laying back down. “I’m not playing this stupid game. I just wanna go to sleep.” Gundham hummed, walking over to his bed. “I must agree with the ill tempered dragon. This childish game has no place for me.”

Souda groaned, throwing his hands up. “Come on! You two need to learn how to have a bit of fun once in a while!” Gundham scowled, pulling the covers over his head, while Fuyuhiko simply ignored him. Teruteru laughed, turning to his fellow participants. “Oh, I don’t think we need to worry too much. We already know who they like anyways.”

Gundham’s eyes went wide, before his pulled his covers further over his head. Fuyuhiko shit up from his sleeping bag, glaring at the other boys. Nekomaru grinned, catching onto his plan. “Yeah! Matter of fact, I’ll say it right now! Who do we start with, Souda?” A shark toothed grin spread across Souda’s face, before grabbing a coin out of his bag. “How about we let fate decide? Heads, it’s Gundham. Tails, Fuyuhiko.”

The room went silent, until the signature sound of a flipping coin caught everyone’s attention. “Heads! Looks like Gundham’s up first!” Souda said, turning towards the bed. “So, you wanna fess up first, or should I start?” A pit formed in the boy’s stomach, and he formed a plan of his own. “I...require a drink. I will be downstairs. Do not follow me.”

Nekomaru picked at his ear, looking at Gundham. “Uh, why shouldn’t we?” Gundham frantically looked around his room, trying to find anything to use as a distraction. “Simple. I will reward you all with a prize” Three heads spun to the boy, and he knew they were hooked. “You have plans to steal a photograph of the girls, correct? Then be warned; the siren has exceptional hearing. Even in the dark, she can identify someone by their footsteps alone. You must be careful in your mission.”

Teruteru nodded, and looked at Souda. “Well, such immaculate hearing could be a problem. Your deal is appreciated Gundham. Go fetch your drink, we all know how thirsty you are.” Gundham shot up from his bed, scrambling to escape the room. Once he was out, he slowed his pace. He must do this quietly, lest the news of his betrayal reach his allies. He knocked on Ibuki’s door, waiting for an answer. The door was thrown open, an incredibly irritated Mahiru waiting on the other side.

“What could you possibly need at this hour?” Gundham waved her closer, whispering in her ear. “The chef and mechanic plan to invade your realm later in the night. Inform my kin of this, and her hearing will prove to be their downfall.” Mahiru stared at him, before giving a soft smile. “Thanks. I’ll tell her.” She closed the door, and Gundham spun on his heel. He had betrayed the trust of his compatriots, but it was to be their punishment for deriving enjoyment from such foul means. He walked downstairs, and into the kitchen. A drink truly was in order, a reward for his victory. The comfortable silence of the night filled the kitchen, relaxing the Overlord. Perhaps he should remain down here for a while longer.

~~~

Mahiru stepped over the mess of pillows and bodies, making her way over to Ibuki’s bed. She tapped around until she found the girl, before kneeling down. “Your brother told me that a few of his friends might try and sneak into our room tonight. You can tell if they come in, right?”

Ibuki nodded, giving Mahiru a thumbs up in the darkness. “Yup! Ibuki’s bearing is super duper awesome! She won’t let a single thing get past her!” Mahiru smiled, patted Ibuki’s shoulder, and made her way back to her sleeping bag. She slipped into the bag, ready to turn in for the night.

The room was comfortably silent, the only noises being Poco’s occasional chirps, and the sounds of rustling fabrics. By the time Ibuki was almost asleep, a soft sniffling had begun to fill the room. Eventually, it escalated to weeping, and then to full on sobbing. The lights came on, revealing Mikan to be the culprit. Hiyoko groaned, stomping over to the girl. “Will you shut up already! I’m trying to sleep, but you’re ugly sobbing keeps waking me up!”

Mikan started sobbing louder, kneeling in front of the dancer and throwing apologies out at Hiyoko nonstop. Hiyoko shoved Mikan back down onto the floor, glaring at her. “Ew! Don’t touch me, pig barf!” By this point, Ibuki and Chiaki were kneeling down by Mikan, trying to calm her down. Sonia had had enough, and she stormed over to the small girl. “That is enough, Hiyoko! I want you to apologize to Mikan this instant, and I want you to give her some space!”

Hiyoko stuck her tongue out at Sonia, before glaring at everyone else in the room. “What? Don’t tell me you guys feel sorry for that wimp? She just wants attention!” Peko had a scow on her face, staring down the petite girl. Ibuki, Chiaki and Sonia were all visibly unhappy, and Akane looked livid. Hiyoko took in her surroundings, groaned, and pushed past the rest of her “friends”. She threw open the door and stomped off down the staircase.

Chiaki placed a hand on Mikan’s back, slowly rubbing circles on her. Ibuki held her hand, and Sonia pulled her into a light hug. The girls whispered sweet nothings into her ear until she stopped crying. Once the sobbing stopped, Sonia looked down to see that Mikan had cried herself to sleep. The girls carefully laid her down, giving reassuring looks to everyone else in the room.

The crowd silently made their ways back to their sleeping bags, an unspoken agreement spread between them. They wouldn’t let Hiyoko get away with this, but they could deal with it later. For now, the gentle embrace of sleep wrapped each girl in it’s clutches. Tomorrow would be better than this. Hopefully.

~~~

Down in the darkness to the kitchen, Gundham heard footsteps run into the living room, and something flop onto the couch. Interesting. Unless Fuyuhiko had decided to flee like he did, it was most definitely one of the girls. He silently crept closer to the living room, drink abandoned, until he could make out the figure on the sofa.

Hiyoko’s crumpled form was on the cushions, chest heaving and soft sobs coming from her. Gundham silently observed from the shadows, taking the scene in. Hiyoko was ruthless to everyone around her, rude and inconsiderate to him and his friends. He should feel no pity, she had finally gotten a taste of her own medicine. But, seeing her on that couch, weeping in the dark, she seemed so...

lonely.

Guilt ripped through Gundham’s heart, tearing him apart. Each sniffle and hiccup from the girl left him more and more broken, until his resolve shattered. With a bit of quick thinking, he could pull this off. He silently crept back into the kitchen, grabbing a small pot and a package. He wasn’t sure the girl would love it, but this always cheered Ibuki right up, so it was bound to have some effect.

He filled the pan with water and put it on the stove. As silently as possible, he retrieved marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, and he stirred the package into the water. Five minutes of hearing and preparing later, and Gundham had whipped up a decent mug of hot chocolate. He grabbed the mug, and walked into the living room.

The sobs were quieter, but still there. Gundham reaches the couch unnoticed, and sat down next to Hiyoko. She jumped, and spun around to him. She wiped her face with her sleeve, before pointing a finger at him. “W-What do you want?” Gundham blushed, and handed her the mug. She stared at it for a moment, before hesitantly grabbing it. She glanced back at Gundham for a moment, muttering a small thank you, before taking a sip.

For the next few minutes, the two children sat there in silence, Hiyoko sipping the warm drink, and Gundham watching Hiyoko’s every move. Eventually, Hiyoko looked up from her mug, staring at the pale boy. “Why?” Was all that she asked, and Gundham gave a somber smile. “You seemed lonely.” She read his expression, and thought back to their younger years. He was always off in the corner, playing by himself. A wave of guilt washed over her.

“I don’t think they want to see me again tonight.” The small girl quietly said, sipping her drink to choke back another sob. Gundham hummed, before looking back at the girl. “Well, I’d much rather prefer to stay here with you than return to the realm of childish games.” He had a crooked grin on his face, and Hiyoko it out a small giggle. “I don’t think I’d want to spend the night with Souda or Teruteru either.”

Gundham let out a chuckle of his own, before standing up. “Allow me one moment. Our garments alone shall not suffice us with enough warmth to last the night.” Hiyoko cocked her head, and Gundham blushed. “I will grab us some blankets.” She let out a soft oh, before returning to her drink. Gundham opened up a closet door, pulled out two large blankets, and draped one over Hiyoko. He returned next to her, covering himself in his own blanket. Hiyoko clicked her nails on the side of the mug, before looking back at Gundham. “This is really good. How often do you make this?”

Gundham smirked, before leaning a bit closer to her. “Whenever Ibuki feels down, I make her a glass of this warmed confectionary.” Hiyoko gulped down the rest of her drink, before looking at Gundham. “Can you...make another mug?” The pale boy smiled, before standing up. He began walking towards the kitchen, this time with Hiyoko in close pursuit.

~~~

When Kaiya came downstairs in the morning, she walked into the kitchen to make a cup of tea to prepare for the rest of the day. Thirteen children was an...interesting responsibility, and a very tiring one at that. However, when she went to grab a mug, she found that each one was gone from the cabinet. She looked in the sink, finding none, and her search began. She walked into the living room, and her heart melted at the sight.

Gundham and Hiyoko were curled up on the couch, resting next to one another, with empty mugs surrounding the duo. She looked inside for any residue, only seeing the faint remnants of chocolate and whipped cream on the inside. She smiled to herself, silently cleaning up the mugs, all while watching the two. Every time Hiyoko would stir in her sleep, Gundham would pull her closer until she stopped fussing. Kaiya couldn’t help herself, and snapped a quick photo of the two. She had hoped today would go as well as yesterday, and so far, it seemed to be going even better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is hands down my longest chapter.


	7. A Fallen Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despair befalls the Tanaka Household

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Akuma (Gundham And Ibuki’s father, a quick reminder) will be returning in this chapter! This chapter is also going to be much more dark than the previous few, so if you are uncomfortable with any of the following things, feel free to skip this chapter. Alcoholism, physically and emotionally abusive parents, and terminal illness.

Kaiya waved goodbye to her children, watching as the two walked into their school. She smiled to herself, and drove out of her parking lot. It seemed like only yesterday that she had brought Ibuki back from the orphanage, that she had changed the lives of so many people with just a few signatures.

Had it been her greatest financial decision? No. Ibuki was quite the costly little girl, but it wasn’t the money that mattered. She had taken Ibuki in from a family that abandoned her, only to bring her back to a father that continued to let her down.

Kaiya’s mood quickly turned sour at the thought of her husband. Horrible memories flew through her head, the sound of shattering bottles and his booming voice ringing in her ears. Her bruises began throbbing, and she started feeling nauseous. Happy thoughts, Kaiya. Happy thoughts.

Her mind quickly wandered back to her children, desperate to think of something positive. She thought of the time Gundham and Mikan locked themselves in a closet for two hours, or when Ibuki taught Poco how to sing. She thought back to when they had watched a scary movie together and ended up sleeping in her room that night. As more and more memories of her prides and joys came to her, Kaiya’s mood returned to its initially happy state.

Before she knew it, Kaiya’s car was parked outside the hospital. She gave a small sigh, before stepping out of her car and towards the building. She greeted Hiroko on her way in, making her way to the elevator. Pressing the button for the third floor, she stepped back and returned to her thoughts. She only hoped she was a good mother to her kids. They had been through so much in their lives already, more than any child should have to deal with.

”What if I’m not good enough?” Kaiya whispered to herself. Guilt crept through her, threatening to boil over at any second. The elevator doors opened up, and Kaiya blinked back her tears. Don’t bother anyone else with your problems, Kaiya. You have to deal with this, not them.

Giving small nods to her coworkers, she walked to the receptionist’s desk and received her schedule for the day. Appointments from 8:30 to 1:30, with no break in sight. Great. Go to room 323, and wait until the patient comes in. Kaiya started for the room, a nauseous feeling returning to her. Something was wrong.

Kaiya sped up her pace for the room, ignoring the people who stared at her. Get to 323. Don’t let them see you. Her breathing became labored, the woman heaving as she walked. Her pace slowed to a halt, her arm shaking as it reached for the wall. Be strong, Kaiya. She went to take another step, but her left leg failed her. She collapsed onto the floor, the world spinning around her. She heard someone shout her name, and a single tear fell from her eye before everything went black.

~~~

Ibuki tapped her fingers on her desk, boredom consuming her entire being. Why did math have to be so boring all the time! Ibuki already knows how fractions work! She looked over to Souda, who seemed equally disinterested in the subject at hand, as he fidgeting with something underneath his desk. Lucky.

Ibuki sighed through her nose, mind drifting off to an imaginary wonderland, filled with guitars, ramen noodles and Sonia, before she faintly heard her name her called. She snapped back to reality, frantically looking around for who said her name. Her teacher stood at the front of the room, staring at the girl. Ibuki began to panic, looking at the board to get some kind of hint. “Twenty Four!” She shouted, earning a few looks from her classmates as her teacher shook his head. “You’re wanted at the office.”

Ibuki let out a soft “oh”, before scurrying out of the room. Once the door closed behind her, she began to skip through the halls. Going to the office usually sucked, but it was something to do instead of math class! Once the office was in her sights, she heard a door open behind her, and she stopped skipping. Every teacher ever told her to stop running in the halls, but she never ran! Only jumped!

Turning on her heel revealed that Gundham has been the one to exit the room, a worried loon on his face. Ibuki smiled, before bouncing over to him. “Heya bro! What’s the face for! Did Ibuki’s mad skipping skills freak you out?” The boy meekly began walking towards the office, and Ibuki caught on. “Wowie! What are the odds that both of us are heading to the office! Ooh! Maybe they want us to switch classes!”

Gundham turned paler than usual, as he began running to the office. Sheesh. Ibuki knew he was paranoid, but this is something else! She chased after him, bursting into the office right alongside him. The secretary turned to them, before gesturing for them to take a seat. Ibuki hopped down into one of the chairs, and Gundham shakily sat down next to her. The secretary gave a shaky breath, before looking at the two.

”Children. I have some...heavy news for you two.” Ibuki looked at Gundham, who seemed to have stopped breathing. The secretary gulped, and continued. “Your mother...is in the hospital.” A small moment of silence fell over the three, before Ibuki let out a small laugh. “Well, duh! Of course our mom’s in the hospital! She works there!”

The secretary shook her head, before looking away. “No, Ibuki. Your mother’s ill. She collapsed in the hospital and is in the Emergency Room.” Realization slowly crept through Ibuki’s mind, the gravity of the situation dawning on her. This couldn’t be happening. It can’t be happening. Mom can’t be sick. She’s my mom, our mom. Tears began pricking at Ibuki’s eyes, disbelief coating her thoughts.

She felt a cold hand grab her own, and a head was on her shoulder. She didn’t realize Gundham was crying. She didn’t realize she was crying. The secretary looked at them, before picking up her phone. “You only have your mother listed as an emergency contact. Do you have a father?” Ibuki could feel Gundham’s heart stop at the mention of his father, and he really shook his head no. The secretary sighed, before looking over at the two. “Do you have anyone who can take you there?”

Ibuki shook her own head, and she started crying a bit harder. Her mom was in the hospital, she couldn’t get there, what was she gonna do? Her mom needs her! Gundham let out a soft whimper, and Ibuki began to sob into her brother’s coat. What could they do? They were only kids. How could they get there?

A sigh caught the attention of everyone in the room, and Ibuki weakly looked up at the source. Their Gym Teacher, Mr. Hoshi, was leaning against the wall, looking at the secretary. “I can drive them out. Just have Tenko take my shift, yeah?” The secretary nodded, and he turned to the two crying siblings. “Follow me. I’ll have you there as soon as possible.”

The short man began walking towards the door, and Ibuki quickly stood up to follow him. Gundham stayed put, almost unresponsive. Ibuki wiped off her tears, before grabbing Gundham’s hand. She gave him a soft hug, before pulling him up. He gave no resistance, mindlessly following his sister. The two walked behind Ryoma as they exited the school, beginning their trip to the hospital.

~~~

As Ryoma pulled into the hospital’s parking lot, he looked back at the two children. Ibuki has stopped crying about halfway through the ride, but Gundham was crying even now. Their hands were intertwined with one another’s, Ibuki’s grip much more firm. Ryoma knew what they must have been thinking, so he didn’t want to keep them any longer.

“Alright. Listen up. You guys need a parent or guardian to get in. I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t know if they’ll count me.” He opened up his door, and the two mirrored his actions. He waited for them to get by his side, and he walked them into the hospital. Upon entry, a woman with Pink hair stepped up, looking down at the two children. “Hey. You two are Gundham and Ibuki, right?”

Ibuki gave a small nod, and Gundham hid behind his sister. Ryoma looked up at the woman, pulling on his beanie. “Let me guess. You’ve got it handled?” The woman nodded, and Ryoma took the hint. He gave a wave to the siblings, and headed off for his car. Ibuki looked back at her brother, and then to the woman in front of them. “Where’s our mom?”

Hiroko sighed, and started walking towards the elevator. “Follow me. I’ll take you guys to her.” Ibuki ran after the woman, but Gundham hesitated. Why should I follow this woman? What if she’s lying to me? Ibuki looked back at her brother, and he raced after her. He was scared, more scared then ever in his life, but he had to protect Ibuki. Stow your fear, Gundham.

The elevator ride was silent, save for a few sniffles from the siblings. The door opened and Hiroko stepped out, the two children following her like her shadow. She knocked on the door of room 407, opening it once she was given permission. Hiroko looked back and waved the two kids in. Both raced into the room, their hearts practically stopping at the sight.

Kaiya was sitting upright in a hospital bed, IV in her arm, and multiple monitors hooked up to her. She looked over at her kids and gave a weak smile, shattering what little resolve the two had built up. Ibuki raced to her mother’s side, while Gundham collapsed where he stood. Ibuki threw her arms around her mom, sobbing into the sheets of the hospital bed, and Gundham simply let his tears fall to he floor.

”I’m okay, kids. I’m okay.” Kaiya muttered, only leaving Ibuki to sob harder. Gundham picked himself off the floor, slowly making his way to his mom. She went to lift her arm up, but it didn’t move from it’s position. Gundham saw the twitch, and lifted her arm up for an embrace. Ibuki slid in with him, the three making the most of their makeshift hug.

The family of three said nothing for what felt like hours, each one silently enjoying the embrace. Hiroko watched from the sidelines, before giving a soft sigh. “I hate to break up such an emotional moment, but there’s a few things I need to clear up.” Kaiya tilted her head to face the woman, and Hiroko gave another sigh. This isn’t going to be easy.

”First things first, we need to contact your husband.” Gundham flinched, and Ibuki’s heart sank. “Plus, he actually needs to come and sign a few things, so he’ll be here in person.” Kaiya tightened her grip on her children as best she could, and Hiroko continued. “Next, you’ll be off work for about a week at most, but you’re going to be here for at least the next three days.”

Ibuki spun around, glaring at Hiroko. “Hold your horses, Lady! Are you capital K kinda crazy?! We can’t leave our mom!” The nurse groaned internally; she was really going to need a smoke after this. “Look. I’m sorry, but we have to find out what’s wrong with your mom.” Gundham laughed bitterly to himself, before turning to face the emotionally drained woman. “There is nothing your mortal medicine can do. This is a curse, placed on the giver of life by a demon most foul.”

Hiroko could feel her patience rapidly declining. How does Kaiya deal with these two? Before she could tell the preteens off, Kaiya lightly laughed to herself. Her children spun to face her, and she lightly titled her head to look at them. “I-I’ll be fine, you two. Everyone here can take care of me.” Both siblings went quiet, and Hiroko took her cue. “The two of you can’t stay at the hospital, so you’re either going to need your father to take you back home, or find a friend who can look after you for a few days.”

Ibuki and Gundham shared a look, silently agreeing to find a friend. Hiroko handed her phone off to Ibuki, ushering the duo into the hall. She closed the door, and walked to Kaiya's bedside. Taking a seat, the pink haired woman sighed, before looking Kaiya in the eye. “We both know what you have. I just need to know if they should know.”

Kaiya fell silent for a moment, before nodding her head. “They’re mature. They’re strong. They should know.” Hiroko shared a moment of silence with the sickly woman, before holding her hand. “Okay. I’ll tell them.” Another stretch of silence, and Hiroko stood up from her chair. Stealing one last glance at the mother, Hiroko held back another groan. This, was going to suck.

Entering the hallway revealed the two distressed children leaning against the wall, each one looking reasonably horrified. Ibuki had been the one on the phone, while Gundham kept muttering an assortment numbers to himself. Hiroko stood silently in the doorframe, not-so-subtly eavesdropping on their conversation.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Nevermind. We’ll just...try someone else. Thank you.” Hanging up the phone, Ibuki gave a small hiccup, before Gundham places a hand on her back. “Worry not...we can simply find another family.” To his answer, Ibuki shoved her brother’s hand off of her. “Like who? Mikan’s mom is worse than our dad, Teruteru’s place is already full, Hiyoko’s family already turned us down!” The girl stomped her foot on the ground, tears streaming down her face. “Ibuki....Ibuki doesn’t want to stay with Dad.”

Gundham’s face went dark, and he pulled his sister into a small hug. “That wretched demon...I refuse to let him lay a hand on you.” A painful silence fell over the duo, and Hiroko decided to step in. “Hey, kids. I need to tell you something. Something...really big.” Both siblings spin to face her, each with a drastically different look.

Ibuki looked hopefully at the older woman, silently praying for a miracle to have come true. Gundham, however, looked solemn and empty, already having accepted the gravity of the situation, and the inevitable fate he faced. Hiroko’s heart felt heavy, and she kneeled down to the children’s level.

“Gundham. Ibuki. You’re mom...she’s ill. Terminally.” In an instant, Hiroko watched Ibuki’s Hopes shatter, as Gundham simply stood silently. “The disease. It’s called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It’s a condition where the muscles in your body slowly deteriorate, until you become too weak to breath. There’s no cure, but treatments can help keep you healthy.”

“Life expectancy can typically be anywhere from two to five years, but there have been cases where the patient lives for decades after their diagnosis.” Ibuki’s head shot up, looking expectantly at the nurse before her. “Really? So, Mom will be okay, at least a bit longer, right?” Hiroko nodded, before standing back up. “You guys will have your mom for a lot longer. She’s a strong woman.”

Gundham nodded at her assessment, before glancing up to the pink haired woman. “May we...speak with her?” Hiroko nodded, reopening the door. As soon as it was open, both children rushed in to see their mother, tears streaming down their face. Hiroko gave a sad smile, before turning on her heel. She had enough tome to make a call.

~~~

The ride back home was a silent, painful one. Gundham and Ibuki sat huddled in the backseat, while Akuma drove forward with a scowl on his face. With every grumble that came from their father, Ibuki would sink further into Gundham’s hold, while he would tighten his grip on the smaller girl. He made a promise, after all.

When the car came to a halt. Akuma muttered a small “out”, with no response from his children. He slammed his fist on the wheel, and Ibuki scrambled for the door. Gundham stared at the man, before stepping out of the car. Akuma stomped over to the front door, unlocking it and turning around. The beast of a man got back into his car, and drove away, leaving his children stranded at their own house.

Ibuki turned to her brother, who slowly lead her into the house. Gundham looked to his sister, a remorseful look on his face. “Ibuki. Please, go do whatever you require to calm yourself. I...will prepare our sustenance.” The boy turned to the kitchen, only for an arm to stop him.

Ibuki had grabbed onto his sleeve, pulling her brother closer to her. “Ibuki doesn’t need food. Ibuki isn’t hungry, anyways. Ibuki just...needs you.” Gundham nodded, and began walking to the living room instead. Ibuki followed behind him, sitting beside him once they reached the couch.

After the two sat themselves down, Ibuki pulled Gundham into a hug. With just a few pats on the back, Ibuki finally let her emotional dam burst, letting out all of her pain and despair into her brother’s shoulder. As Ibuki sobbed into his coat, Gundham could only rub her back and sit in silence, fearful of losing his composure if he so much as breathed.

The routine continued for nearly an hour, where Ibuki would let her pain put into the crook of her brother’s neck, and Gundham would silently let his tears fall onto his sister’s back, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Everything had been going so fast. They’re mother was sick. Terminally. An awful realization crept through the siblings as they let their tears fall, one that would only cause the sobs to come out harder.

Kaiya Tanaka was going to die.

After what felt like days of crying, Ibuki finally composed herself enough to sit up. Gundham let his composure return as well, his emotions becoming blocked out to those who didn’t know what to look for. Both siblings let their tears fall in silence, trying their best to pull themselves together.

However, their composure fell apart once again at the sound of a car door slamming shut. Gundham’s eyes went wide, and Ibuki started to sob again. Not now. He couldn’t have. Shooting yo from his seat, Gundham pointed to a closet in the hallway. Ibuki followed his gaze, and with a weary look, raced into the cabinet. Gundham closed the door on her, and the front door came flying open.

The stench of alcohol filled Gundham’s nostrils as he faced his father. A drunken fool as usual. Pathetic. Akuma glared at his son, stepping forward to loom over him. “Where’s your sister.” Gundham glared at the large man, his resolve unwavering. Not tonight. Not to her. “What right do you have to know, fiend?”

“She’s my daughter, damn it! I’m her father, so you’re gonna tell me where the fuck she is!” Akuma roared in Gundham’s face, only for the boy to stand his ground. “Cur such as yourself have no right to such information. Begone.” Gundham could feel his heart racing in his chest, but he swallowed his fear. He made a promise.

”Tell me where she is you little shit!” Akuma grabbed Gundham by the shoulders, and the boy harshened his glare. Though every fiber of his being told Gundham to protect himself, he did nothing but stare. “Rot in the hellfire you came from, demon.”

From there, everything happened in an instant: Gundham saw the fist rise, and didn’t realize it came down until a searing pain shot through his eye. Falling to the ground, Gundham grasped at his face, feeling blood rush into his hand. Akuma grunted, and stormed back out of the house. The instant he left, Ibuki ran out of the closet, and fell to her brother’s side.

As Gundham felt his eye start to swell shut, he couldn’t take it anymore. He looked at his sister’s panicked face, and he lost it. Letting out soft sobs into his scarf, Gundham pulled his sister into a tight hug, muttering apologies and whispering sweet nothings to her. Ibuki get herself start to cry once more, and the siblings stayed in their embrace. For the first time in their lives, Gundham and Ibuki had felt true despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter isn’t as high quality as previous ones. Medical crises are a bit of a touchy subject for me, so I might have rushed certain points.


	8. A Realm Fit for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ibuki and Gundham have to cope with their mother’s disease, as well as everything else going on in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all, I’m addressing the elephant in the room. I’m so sorry for not updating this for nearly two months. School has taken a massive chunk out of my time, so I can’t write as quickly as I could over the summer. Secondly, this chapter gave me a really hard time with what I wanted done, so sorry if the quality of this update wasn’t worth the wait.

Ibuki lay awake in her bed, eyes focused on nothing but the ceiling above her as she tried her best to clear her mind. So much had happened over the last day that she couldn’t believe it was real. Taking a look at the clock on her wall, she gave an audible groan. At 3:43 in the morning, even Poco was asleep, blissfully ignorant to the harsh world around her. The girl groaned as loudly as she could this late into the night, throwing her head back onto her pillow. She didn’t want to wake Gundham, if he was sleeping by some miracle. After the closet incident, he had been shaking like a leaf in the wind from the moment she came out to the moment she left his room…

...she only left an hour ago.

Gundham insisted she go back to her room to rest, promising her nothing bad would happen in her sleep, but she couldn’t believe him. Not after all of this. A small thump across the house caught her attention, causing her to jolt up in her bed. After a minute of silence, Ibuki slowly shrank back into her sheets. That noise could have been anything, really. One of the neighbors taking out the trash and slamming the lid down too hard, a racoon breaking into said trash can, or even a car door. There was nothing to be afraid of!

Despite knowing that sleep wouldn’t come to her, Ibuki closed her eyes anyways, with the hopes of letting her eyes rest. The world around her was silent once more, until a second noise made her eyelids shoot open. A third noise. A fourth. She knew these were footsteps, and she knew exactly who they belonged to. Slamming her eyes shut, Ibuki burrowed her face into her pillow, praying that her father wouldn’t enter the room. A fifth noise. A sixth.

The footsteps got closer and closer to her door, and Ibuki’s heart was beating hard enough she could feel her chest shaking with every pulse. What if he tried to finish what he wanted to start in that closet? What was he going to do to her? Ibuki gripped her bed posts to stop her hands from shaking, but it did little to stop her terror. A seventh noise. An eighth. The stomping came to a sudden halt, and Ibuki’s ears perked up despite her fear. She faintly heard the sound of a door open, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it wasn’t Gundham’s door since the footsteps had never gone past her room to reach her brother, so that could only mean her father was going to bed.

Ibuki released her grip on the bed posts, letting her arms drop to the sides of her bed. While she could still feel her arms shivering, she knew they would calm down soon enough. With her father in bed, she didn’t have anything to worry about. She had at least a few hours of safety until he woke up, and she could probably run off to Sonia’s house with Gundham until their mother came home. Closing out the world around her, Ibuki drifted off into her own imagination, her senses dulling in the process. She shut her eyes one more time, and gave another sigh. She was going to be okay.

~~~

As sunlight crept through her window, Ibuki slowly rose up from her bed. Her first instinct was to reach for her alarm, only to find it had never gone off. Rolling over in her bed, Ibuki read the clock to herself, before giving a soft groan. Sure, it was Saturday and all, but waking up at noon wasn’t very fun. With a fog filling her brain, Ibuki pushed herself off of her bed, taking a glance over to Poco. The bird was still sound asleep, perched on a fake branch extending from the cage’s wall. Carefully refilling his water and food, Ibuki felt oddly calm, despite the events of the previous day.

Finishing up with Poco, the musician silently crept out of her room to go check on her brother. He didn’t like sleeping this late into the day either, so it was good for him to get up. Opening up the door, Ibuki snuck up to her brother’s bedside, reaching a hand out for his arm. However, she stopped herself before she could shake him awake. Taking a glance up to his eye revealed that it was still incredibly swollen, and something about it gave her a sense of dread. Everything from the color, to the shape, to the way it seemed to pulse with his heartbeat made her feel sick to her stomach.

The second Ibuki’s hand made contact with her brother’s arm, Gundham’s eyes shot open, as he flew away from her touch. Ibuki pulled her hand back, and Gundham’s muscles relaxed at the sight of his sister. “Ah. I-It was only you…” The pale boy murmured, averting his gaze to his own hands. A terrible silence fell over the two of them, before Gundham stood up from his bed. Clearing his throat, he began making his way towards his door, Ibuki silently following behind him. The duo continued through the hall and down the stairs, all without a sound.

As they turned into the kitchen, Gundham spun on his heel and held up his hand. Ibuki stopped in her tracks, and her brother gave a crooked smile. “Now then: I believe you should find somewhere to make yourself comfortable. A banquet is in order for the both of us, no matter how small.” Another pause came between the two, before Ibuki gave out a vibrant laugh. “Okie Doodles! Ibuki’ll go and get a super awesome comfort fort ready for the two of us! It’ll be like breakfast in bed, but on our couch!”

The upbeat girl raced into the living room, and Gundham stood still in thought for a moment. The subtle movements of her eyes, how tense her muscles were, and with how forced the laugh was, it was obvious she was only faking her joy. It would be his top priority to have her usual joy return to her, lest the both of them fall to the hands of that wretched beast. Opening the fridge, Gundham scanned its contents before noticing something was amiss. The bottles that had plagued his life for as long as he could remember...were gone. “Interesting. Where could those damnable things have gone?” the boy muttered, pulling a carton of eggs out of the fridge and turning to the counter. He’d have to make something else for himself later, but Ibuki came first. 

Cracking an egg into a pan, scowling to himself as the yolk stared back up at him. Though he detested the ideals of consuming animal products, his sister was quite fond of them, so he made an exception for her. Taking a look back to the fridge, Gundham furrowed his brow further, wondering where the bottles had gone. They weren’t on the counter like they usually were when they were emptied, and when he opened the trash to dispose of the eggshell, the bottles weren’t inside the can either.

He gave a grim sigh, before washing the remnants of egg whites off his hands. Taking a quick glance into the living room, Gundham saw Ibuki staring in awe at something from the window. It was more than likely nothing more than a bird or stray cat. The strays of the neighborhood had been attracted to him as of late, with legions of them sitting at his doorstep almost nightly. He had to admit: seeing his mighty empire have such a far reach almost put a tear to his eye.

Almost. Overlords don’t cry.

Turning back to the stove revealed the egg had finished frying, so Gundham flipped it from the pan to a plate, grabbed a fork and knife, and moved out to the living room. Placing the plate on the table was enough to break his sister from her trance, the girl spinning on her heel and throwing her arms around her brother. “Gundham! It’s amazing! Fantabulous levels of outstanding!” Ibuki tightened her grip before her brother could answer, so his only response was a small gasp for oxygen. Once she realized how harsh her death grip was,Ibuki dropped her arms from her brother, opting to pull him to the window instead.

“Now then, Siren; what exactly has you so riled up?” Gundham asked, looking out of the window, trying to spot the anomaly. “The car! It’s all gone!” Ibuki shouted, pointing out to the empty driveway before them. Taking a look at the pavement revealed that Akuma’s car had, in fact, disappeared. The boy gave a small hum, before leading Ibuki back to the coffee table. “Indeed it is. We shall remain ever hopeful that his return is delayed.” Ibuki gave a quick laugh (containing exactly four ha’s. His charm must be working), before she noticed her breakfast. “Oh, wowie! This is how you spice up a morning! Sunny-side up with an upside down frown!”With a wide grin on her face, Ibuki hopped down onto the floor, snatching her silverware and tearing into her meal. 

Gundham smiled to himself, before turning around to look back outside. First the missing bottle, and now the car has disappeared alongside it? Perhaps this too, was the will of causality. Either that, or something was wrong. Sneaking as quietly as he could towards the staircase, Gundham took a glance back to the closet, his gaze lingering on the barrier of reality. It seemed harmless on its own, and it was childish to assume some sort of monster would lunge out from the depths of darkness to swallow him whole. But at the same time, a feeling of dread caused his gaze to lock onto the door. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Gundham continued up the stairs, hoping for the best with what he would find.

Once he reached the final step, Gundham looked upon his final obstacle on this path of truth: the door to his parent’s bedroom. If what his hunch was true, he had nothing to worry about at all: but if he was wrong, he ran the risk of angering the foul demon that laid waiting in his chambers. A worthwhile risk, but a dangerous one nonetheless. Stowing his fear, Gundham opened up the seal to the beast’s den, his muscles tightened to prepare for any immediate counterattacks…

...only for that attack to never arrive. Opening his currently functional eye revealed that his father was nowhere in sight. The bathroom was wide open and vacant, and the room was in a general state of normality. The bedsheets were still undone, granted, but that was to be expected of such lowly cur. However, it was an open drawer that caught the Overlord’s eye, it’s silent spell bringing him closer to it’s sacred knowledge. The dresser’s drawer had been hanging out, picked completely clean of everything inside.

“Odd indeed, this endeavor. If the forsaken one was only gone for a spell, why take his clothing with him?” Gundham pondered to himself, before spinning back to face the closet. Swallowing his fear, he threw open the doors to the closet, revealing that his father’s clothes were nowhere in sight once again. The boy pursed his lips, before looking back to the unkempt bed. “If that demon has really left, then he wouldn’t leave such precious materials behind…” Leveling himself on the floor, Gundham peered under the frame of the bed, before pulling out a small lockbox. Reaching between the mattress and frame, the boy pulled out a key, before opening the box.

A scowl crossed over Gundham’s face when the contents of the box were revealed to him. Instead of the usually stockpile of savings his mother kept in the box, there had been nothing inside of the container. “It appears my hunch is correct, then…” Resealing the box and slipping it back into its original spot, Gundham made his way back downstairs and into the living room. As he looked over the room once more, he saw Ibuki had returned to the window, presumably watching the driveway for any sort of movement. 

Standing in silence, Gundham observed his sister’s visual patrol of the pavement, watching as her eyes darted back and forth trying to spot...anything, really. Clearing his throat caused the musician to jump, before her muscles relaxed at the sight of her brother. “Oh, hey Gunny! Ibuki was just...watching for racoons! Yup!” The girl clicked her fingernails together, before Gundham shook his head. “I doubt that the nocturnal thieves were the beasts you were waiting for. However, I don’t doubt it was a beast you had been watching.”

Ibuki looked down to the floor, her shoulders slumping as she went quiet. “Yeah...Ibuki was watching for a monster.” The two remained quiet, before Gundham hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder. “Well, Ibuki...I believe we won’t have to worry much.” The girl snapped her head up to her brother, an overwhelming sense of hope filling them. “From what I’ve gathered, that beast won’t be returning to us.”

Another beat of silence passed, before Ibuki pulled her brother into what had probably been the strongest hug of his life (excluding yesterday...but don’t dwell on that). Gundham heard his sister whimper, and he slowly returned the hug. “H-He...he’s really gone?” Ibuki muttered, and Gundham gave a small nod to answer her. In an instant, the floodgates were broken, and Ibuki began to sob into his shoulder. “He’s gone...he’s really gone!”

Each cheer from the musician lifted the spirits of Gundham further and further, until he himself found tears leaving a trail down his face. Overlords aren’t supposed to cry, but he could make an exception. Slowly rubbing circles into Ibuki’s back, Gundham started to slowly hum a calm melody. Slowly but surely, Ibuki’s sobs turned to whimpers, and eventually faded out completely. Looking down into his arms revealed that the girl had cried herself to sleep in the panic, leaving her soft snores to fill the void of silence. Shaking his head, Gundham lifted his sister up into his arms, carrying her up to her bed. She needed as much rest as possible, after everything that’s happened. Come to think of it, he needed to rest as well…

Laying Ibuki onto the bed, Gundham silently slipped out of the room and into his own. His eye was still throbbing, but it wasn’t enough to deter him. Exhaustion is a powerful tool, and as he laid down on his own mattress, Gundham could feel the grip of sleep pulling him in. Giving a small sigh to himself, he stopped resisting against its clutches, allowing himself to fall back to dreamland. Everything was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again if this wasn’t worth the wait. On the bright side, though; Akuma won’t be coming back! The sad part is over! for now...


	9. Massive Update (and an apology)

Hi, again! Sorry I haven’t posted in so long, but uh. There’s a bit of a reason this time.

I’ve been having a lot of troubles with deciding where this story needs to go next (like, I’ve been trying to think of an actual chapter 9 since chapter 8 was posted), but I haven’t been able to think of anything. The pacing of the story wasn’t set properly for what I wanted to do, and I’ve already written too much of the story to simply go back and edit it.

Key Word is edit.

So, here’s the big announcement: I’ll be rewriting Siblings of Eccentricity from the very beginning. It’ll have the same premise, and a few of the same story points, but issues like the pacing, storytelling and characterization of the younger years will be tweaked just a *little* bit.

The rewritten version will be a whole new fic, so if you want to find it, you’ll have to check my works page (or just the Gundham and Ibuki are siblings tag: it wouldn’t take too long to find it) you want to read the rewrite. I’m very sorry I have to do this, but it’s the only way I can continue with the story I love. Thank you all for reading, and (hopefully) stay tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so part two of the toddler years is coming up soon, and I hope you all liked this.


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